“Let’s go, what are you still gawking at,” Yang Kai grinned at Hua You Meng before leading the way forward.
“Eh, ah,” Hua You Meng seemed unable to even think for herself at the moment, so after hearing Yang Kai’s call, she simply followed him into Purple Star City while the other cultivators of Five Paths Chamber of Commerce all did the same.
The gate guards didn’t dare to stop them, all looking at Yang Kai as if he was some kind of scourge to be evaded at all costs. The cultivators who lined up outside to enter the city also took this as a chance and swarmed forward.
The city gate descended into chaos for a moment as the dozen guards were unable and even unwilling to stop these people. Only after some time did one of them come back to his senses and call out, “Quickly, check Deacon Min’s condition!”
With this shout, the other guards seemed to wake from their daze and several of them rushed over to Deacon Min’s side to investigate with concern.
“Inform… Sir Lu Tian Feng!” Deacon Min forced out a few words before coughing up blood and collapsing to the ground, passing out again.
The guard who spoke first hurriedly took out his communication artifact, poured his Divine Sense into it, and ground his teeth fiercely, “Boy, you’re dead! Daring to beat my Purple Star City’s people, even if it’s the King of Heaven, he won’t be able to save you now.”
The other guards all wore angry expressions as well as they glared at Yang Kai’s disappearing back.
After Yang Kai raised such a disturbance, one they were unable to prevent, they would certainly be punished harshly, so how could they not resent him?
For so many years, no one had dared act presumptuous in Purple Star City, but such a big fuss occurred at the city’s main gate today. If this matter wasn’t handled properly and examples weren’t made, Purple Star would become a laughing stock. Clearly, these guards wouldn’t be able to bear the consequences of such a loss in face.
Five Paths Chamber of Commerce’s headquarters, inside a small meeting room.
Hua You Meng and the others sat there blankly, each with a look of panic on their faces.
Yang Kai was also sitting here, observing the room, looking calm and relaxed, not showing the slightest awareness of the trouble he had caused, even seeming to be having fun.
“Little brat, why did you follow us here?” After a long silence, a burly bald-headed man suddenly snapped as he turned his head and glared at Yang Kai, his eyes full of hostility.
“That’s right, why are you here?” Another male cultivator finally recovered and looked at Yang Kai curiously.
“Oh… This is my first time in this city and I’m not familiar with it yet. Just now, President Hua was kind enough to invite me over, and since I had no reason to refuse, I humbly accepted,” Yang Kai smiled lightly and explained.
“Me?” Hua You Meng looked at Yang Kai blankly and thought for a moment before gently nodding, “Yes, yes… that’s right.”
On the way here from the city gate, this group of people from Five Paths Chamber of Commerce had behaved like soulless drones, completely lost and acting on instinct. This wasn’t surprising though, as Five Paths Chamber of Commerce was just a small organization. It had survived in the cracks left behind by the various giants which ruled the Star Field and had always acted discreetly and cautiously in Purple Star City so as not to create trouble, but this time, they had gotten involved in an incident where Deacon Min was beaten badly enough to cough up blood at the city’s main gate, his life or death uncertain.
For Five Paths Chamber of Commerce, this was no different from the sky collapsing on their heads.
No one even noticed that Yang Kai had come together with them to Five Paths Chamber of Commerce. Hua You Meng only managed to regain her senses now, take a deep breath, and fix her beautiful eyes towards Yang Kai as she muttered quietly, “Sister Hong, please arrange a guest house for him so he can rest.”
Hearing this, a beautiful woman in a glamorous red dress responded and waved to Yang Kai, “Follow me.”
“I’ll be troubling you then,” Yang Kai nodded lightly before he got up to follow.
“President…” The burly bald-headed man called out anxiously when he saw Yang Kai get up to leave.
Hua You Meng just shot him a glare and he fell silent, not daring to speak any further, only able to glare angrily at Yang Kai’s back while gritting his teeth.
Yang Kai followed the beautiful woman named Sister Hong forward as he observed his surroundings, only after a while chuckling lightly, “Madam, it seems your Chamber of Commerce has some good heritage.”
“Why do you say that?” The beautiful woman looked back at Yang Kai, her expression cold.
“Although this is the first time I have come to Purple Star City, since it is Purple Star’s headquarters, every inch of ground must be worth its weight in gold. If your chamber of commerce can occupy such a large space, it’s finances must be strong.”
A vigilant look appeared in the beautiful woman’s eyes as she snapped lightly, “This is all the result of President’s and everyone’s hard efforts for more than twenty years. Many of our brothers and sisters died out in the Star Field to make this little space in Purple Star City our own, so what great financial strength could we have? “What’s more… we’ve been caught up in such big trouble this time that the future of our Five Paths Chamber of Commerce is now in question.”
Yang Kai smiled apologetically, “Sorry, I seem to have caused trouble for your Chamber of Commerce.”
“As long as you understand,” The beautiful woman’s expression brightened slightly as she stopped talking and continued to lead Yang Kai.
After a short while, she came to a guest pavilion and opened the door, “It’s a bit crude, but you can stay here for the time being.”
“Many thanks,” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
The beautiful woman then turned around and left, only to pause after a few steps and turn back.
“What advice does Madam have?” Yang Kai looked at her suspiciously.
The beautiful woman lightly opened her vermilion lips, “Our President is compassionate and does not like seeing others bullied. Many of our brothers and sisters are here today supporting her because they have received kindness from her, myself included. If not for the President’s assistance, I would have died ten years ago. As such, I won’t blame her for now standing up to help you, but… if Purple Star City wants to hold someone accountable, I hope you can take the initiative to stand up and settle this matter, not allowing any harm to befall President. She is a good person, so I don’t care how strong you are: If anything happens to her because of you, even if I have to do so as a ghost I won’t let you off.”
Yang Kai’s facial expression became serious as he nodded, “I understand.”
“I hope so.” After the beautiful woman finished what she had to say, she turned and left.
In the previous room, the burly bald-headed man paced back and forth anxiously like an ant on a hot wok.
“Uncle Yao, can you calm down? My eyes are going blurry just watching you,” To the right, a woman who appeared to be in her twenties looked helplessly towards the burly bald-headed man.
“With everything that’s happened, how am I supposed to calm down?” The burly bald-headed man yelled angrily, “You saw what happened just now, this time I’m afraid it’s all over for us.”
At the head of the room, Hua You Meng gently rubbed her forehead with her hand and smiled bitterly. She hadn’t expected that she would get into such trouble today. She just didn’t want to see the tragic end previously exemplified by the middle-aged man befall Yang Kai as well. How could she have known that Yang Kai would be so resolute and unyielding that he even dared to hit the city guards and Deacon Min right outside Purple Star City?
“Yao Qing, sit down. Now that things have gotten to this point, there’s no point in getting agitated,” Hua You Meng was also getting a bit dizzy watching Yao Qing pace back and forth, so she had him settle down.
As soon as she spoke, Yao Qing stomped his feet before walking back to his chair and sitting down; however, as if his cushion was made from thousands of needles, he simply couldn’t sit still, his expression constantly twitching as he shifted back and forth, a stiff and ugly look plastered over his face.
Hua You Meng cast her gaze towards the elderly man sitting nearby, who had kept his eyes closed since they returned, making his thoughts impossible to read.
Pausing for a moment, Hua You Meng finally asked, “Uncle Xia, you are the most experienced and knowledgeable in the Chamber of Commerce. I wonder if Uncle Xia has any way to resolve our current predicament?”
Xia Jing Wu slowly opened his eyes and frowned for a moment before letting out a sigh, “This is a difficult situation.”
“Even Uncle Xia doesn’t have a way?” Hua You Meng’s heart sank to the bottom when she heard this.
Xia Jing Wu smiled bitterly, “Although this old master has always claimed to be the strategist of the Chamber of Commerce, this old master is nothing but a Third-Order Saint King. With such low strength, there aren’t many methods that he can use. President, you understand just who we have offended this time…”
Hua You Meng’s beautiful eyes darkened and her expression turned extremely bitter. The Chamber of Commerce had experienced many catastrophes in the past, but they had weathered all of them thanks to Xia Jing Wu’s meticulous arrangements and advice, but this time, even Xia Jing Wu was helpless.
“President, you were too reckless this time,” Xia Jing Wu shook his head slowly.
“Uncle Xia, don’t say that about the President. President was simply acting on her conscience, she didn’t seek trouble intentionally,” The woman in her twenties whispered softly, seemingly unable to bear the sight of Hua You Meng being reprimanded.
“This old master doesn’t mean to accuse the President of anything. Which one of us sitting here has not received kindness from her? If the President didn’t have such an upright moral code, there wouldn’t be a Five Paths Chamber of Commerce today. In fact, it’s likely that none of us would even be sitting here,” Xia Jing Wu said slowly.
Everyone nodded gently and deeply agreed. It was because of Hua You Meng’s kindness that they had survived to this day.
“It’s just, this time… haa…” Xia Jing Wu sighed heavily. After a while, he looked up at Hua You Meng and said, “President, there are only two options now.”
Hua You Meng’s beautiful eyes lit up and she smiled, “I knew that Uncle Xia would have a way. Please elaborate.”
Yao Qing and the woman in her twenties also hurriedly looked at Xia Jing Wu with great expectation.
“President thinks too highly of this old man. En, the two plans this old man has may not resolve the Chamber of Commerce’s crisis, but… we have to try something,” Xia Jing Wu reached out and stroked his beard before quickly saying. “The first option we have is… to capture that boy and hand him over to Purple Star City!”
Hua You Meng immediately frowned.
“This problem was caused by that boy, so it should be resolved by him as well. As long as we hand that boy over, we might be able to avoid Five Paths Chamber of Commerce taking on the full responsibility. Of course, some punishment will likely still be meted out, but the future is still far, and as long as the President is here, our Five Paths Chamber of Commerce can rise again.”
“Yes, it’s just as Uncle Xia says. I’ll go catch that boy now and hand him over to Purple Star City,” Yao Qing didn’t wait for Hua You Meng to get a word in before quickly jumping to his feet.
Hua You Meng just shot him a glare and firmly shouted, “Sit down!”
Yao Qing’s neck shrank immediately before he quickly sat down obediently. It could be seen that Hua You Meng’s words held great authority to him.
Xia Jing Wu stroked his beard and continued, “Yao Qing, don’t be impulsive. I don’t know what the strength of that young man is exactly, but since he can defeat Deacon Min with one palm, he is definitely not someone you can capture. Even if everyone in the Chamber of Commerce were to join forces, we likely would not be his opponent. If you really went to provoke him now, you will only bring shame upon yourself!”
Yao Qing thought about it for a moment and an embarrassed look appeared on his face as he knew it was true. The more he thought about it, the more he began to sweat.
Hua You Meng looked at Xia Jing Wu with a wry smile and said, “This method won’t work; please talk about the second one, Uncle Xia.”
Xia Jing Wu sighed, “I knew that President wouldn’t agree to this proposal.”
How could Xia Jing Wu not know what kind of temperament Hua You Meng possessed? As someone who was charitable and caring, even able to stand up for a stranger like Yang Kai outside the city gate, how could she be willing to turn him over to Purple Star City for punishment now? If she were to really do this, she would not be Hua You Meng anymore.
“Since we cannot capture and hand him over, we can only choose the second option to avoid this crisis,” Xia Jing Wu said before solemnly declaring. “President must bring some people here and leave the Chamber of Commerce quickly; this old master will stay behind and manage the fallout.”
Hua You Meng was surprised when she heard these words and said in amazement, “Uncle Xia, what are you…”
“Since the crime has already been committed, someone must naturally take responsibility. It is impossible for Purple Star City to simply let the matter drop. In fact, we should not have even entered the city just now and left directly; but at the time, all of us were in a daze so it couldn’t be helped. Now that we are already inside the walls though, I’m afraid that trying to leave will be as difficult as ascending to the Heavens. However, now is a time for decisive measures! This old man has been in the President’s care for many years and hopes that in the end he can serve the President one last time,” Xia Jing Wu stood up and straightened his short body, seemingly preparing himself to meet whatever end was to befall him.
“I’ll stay with Uncle Xia!” Yao Qing got up quickly.
“I will stay too!” Outside the door, the beautiful woman named Sister Hong walked in and said in a deep voice.
“You can’t!” Hua You Meng’s expression finally changed as she flatly rejected the idea.
“Hehe, you truly can’t. If you all stay, who can assist the President in the future? If that happens, our Five Paths Chamber of Commerce will really meet its end, so all of you must go. Bring as many of the Chamber of Commerce’s value assets with you as you can while this old man stays behind to bear the burden,” Xia Jing Wu smiled lightly, as if already indifferent to the prospects of life and death. “Not to mention, this old man has some friendship with a certain Sir in Purple Star City. If I can contact him, I may not lose my life.”
“No!” Hua You Meng shook her head vigorously and said, “If Purple Star City really wants to make an example of someone, it is absolutely impossible for me, as the President, to not be here. I am the one who should remain while the rest of you leave.”
The group immediately began to argue, no one able to convince anyone else about who should go and who should stay.
After a fruitless debate, Xia Jing Wu slapped his thigh anxiously, “President, time is running out. If you continue to argue with this old man anymore, none of us will be able to leave! Do you want this old man to kneel and beg you? Good, this old man will kneel and beg!”
Saying so, he actually kneeled down towards Hua You Meng.
“Uncle Xia!” Hua You Meng’s complexion changed drastically as her figure disappeared from the chair she sat on and arrived right in front of Xia Jing Wu.
Just when she was about to reach out to support Xia Jing Wu though, Xia Jing Wu suddenly raised his hand and tossed a fistful of powder towards Hua You Meng.
How could Hua You Meng imagine that Xia Jing Wu would do something like this to her at such a time? Before she was able to react, she had already breathed in some of the powder and in the next moment, her whole body went limp. Staring at Xia Jing Wu in a daze, she called out in shock, “Flower Petal Raindrops!”
“Uncle Xia, what are you doing!?” When Yao Qing saw that something was wrong, he roared and rushed towards Xia Jing Wu in anger.
“Stop!” The beautiful woman named Sister Hong quickly understood what was happening and warded off Yao Qing before supporting Hua You Meng in her arms.
“Uncle Xia… you…” Although Hua You Meng felt incredibly weak, she did not fall unconscious.
Xia Jing Wu chuckled wryly, “Since President recognizes this Flower Petal Raindrops, she must also know its effects. Even if the President has a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivation, you won’t be able to use your Saint Qi for at least an hour!”
Having said so, he then shouted abruptly, “Gao Hong, quickly take the President away from the Chamber of Commerce and find a safe place to hide in the city until things calm down. Once they do, find a way to leave Purple Star!”
The beautiful woman’s tender body shook and her eyes leaked tears as she stared at Xia Jing Wu for a moment before she nodded solemnly and said, “Uncle Xia may rest assured. Even if this Gao Hong must give her life, she will ensure the President is safe!”
“Yao Qing, Hai Tang, you go too!” Xia Jing Wu turned his head and looked at the other two in the room.
Yao Qing and the twenty-something-year-old woman heard this and nodded one after another.
Yao Qing, despite his rugged exterior, could not help crying at this moment, “Uncle Xia, you must take care.”
“Hoho, rest assured, this old man won’t die,” Xia Jing Wu smiled lightly before motioning to them to hurry.
Under his urging, Gao Hong picked up Hua You Meng while Yao Qing and Hai Tang quickly gathered up whatever they could get their hands on, preparing to leave the Five Paths Chamber of Commerce before disaster struck.
“Loyal and righteous, the people from this small chamber of commerce are quite interesting,” Yang Kai sat cross-legged in his pavilion and could not help raising his brow as he nodded in approval.
Although he was some distance away, the argument between the Five Paths Chamber of Commerce members could not evade his senses. Among these people, Hua You Meng was the strongest at the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm, while the cultivations of the others were mixed. With Yang Kai’s Second-Order Origin King strength, if he wanted to spy on them, none of them would be able to notice much less stop him.
“En, the situation is somewhat different from what I had expected,” Yang Kai rubbed his forehead as he muttered to himself. His original intention was to sneak into Purple Star City quietly, then steal what he needed from Purple Star’s Treasure Vault under the guidance of Zi Dong and be done with it.
With his current methods and powerful cultivation, Yang Kai was certain he could accomplish this without anyone noticing. Even if he was discovered, Yang Kai was confident he could escape any siege.
However, the incident at the city gate had destroyed all those plans.
Yang Kai knew that beating Purple Star’s people in Purple Star City would create complications for him, and although he did not need to fear such minor problems, the people from Five Paths Chamber of Commerce were certainly going to suffer.
So, when Hua You Meng unconsciously invited him to Five Paths Chamber of Commerce after entering the city, Yang Kai happily agreed.
She had stuck her neck out to help him and was suffering this disaster because of him, so Yang Kai could not just ignore her.
Yang Kai also knew that the Five Paths Chamber of Commerce members thinking they could escape now was nothing more than a naive dream.
“They’re here!” Yang Kai frowned as his Divine Sense picked up a large number of cultivators approaching the chamber of commerce. After these cultivators entered the building, they immediately began using force, causing all the cultivators who had come here shopping to flee in panic while the employees were knocked to the ground as they cried out in pain.
Before Gao Hong and the others, who had just run out into the backyard, had time to escape, a number of extremely powerful auras suppressed them in place.
The man who seemed to be the leader of this group of masters then shouted angrily, “Injuring my Purple Star City’s guards then trying to flee? Your Five Paths Chamber of Commerce is absolutely lawless!”
As soon as these words fell, this man punched forward.
Gao Hong was the first to bear the brunt of this assault, causing her pretty face to pale as she hurriedly shielded Hua You Meng who she was holding, exposing her back to the attack.
Yao Qing and Hai Tang also screamed as they hurriedly summoned their artifacts to resolve the fierce attack.
*Hong long long…*
After a loud bang, most of the backyard of the Five Paths Chamber of Commerce was destroyed while Gao Hong, Yao Qing, and Hai Tang were all sent flying. Coughing up blood mid-air, all of them crashed to the ground looking pale and bloodless.
*Hualala…*
Countless armoured cultivators flooded in from the back door, each of them holding a spear in their hands as they quickly sealed off the backyard.
A burly figure stepped forward to the front of this group next, his hands folded behind his back and a cold, indifferent expression adorning his face.
“Senior Bai!” Xia Jing Wu, who rushed out after hearing the ruckus, could not stop his heart from sinking as he saw who the leader of this group was and hurried forward to greet him.
He recognized at a glance that this man was a Vice Commander of the Purple Star City Guard, Bai Zheng Chu.
Purple Star City’s Guard was led by Commander Lu Tian Feng, an Origin King Realm master, and directly beneath him were eight Vice Commanders, all of whom were peak Origin Realm cultivators. The Guard managed the peace of the city and was responsible for handling various disputes.
Bai Zheng Chu was one of these eight Vice Commanders and would never show up for trivial matters. This time, because Deacon Min had been injured, he had come to Five Paths Chamber of Commerce.
When this man arrived, Xia Jing Wu realized the situation had become far more dangerous.
According to rumours, Bai Zheng Chu was the most ruthless of the eight Vice Commanders, a man who killed others like flies and destroyed any business he targeted. Over the years, he had served as a Vice Commander, even if a hundred businesses were not demolished at his hands, there were at least eight. Not only had those businesses been forced to close down, all the personnel who worked there had also had their lives destroyed if not lost completely.
Xia Jing Wu could not help trembling as he felt that this time Five Paths Chamber of Commerce was truly doomed.
“Scram!” Bai Zheng Chu did not even look at Xia Jing Wu and just yelled angrily, his voice containing a force that slammed into the old man’s body and made him collapse to the ground, seemingly suffering some internal injuries.
In the backyard, everyone from Five Paths Chamber of Commerce wore an ashen expression as despair flashed across their eyes. The menacing glares of the Purple Star City Guard all made them shiver in fear.
Bai Zheng Chu turned his head around for a moment before coldly snorting, “Five Paths Chamber of Commerce, haha. There’s no need for it to continue to exist.”
As soon as this statement came out, everyone’s expressions changed wildly. Bai Zheng Chu’s words were tantamount to condemning the chamber of commerce to death.
Hua You Meng, who was still being held by Gao Hong, said weakly, “Senior Bai, this matter is all just a misunderstanding. Can you… let this Mistress explain it to you.”
Bai Zheng Chu turned his attention to Hua You Meng and simply snorted once more, “There’s no need to explain, Five Paths Chamber of Commerce will be disbanded from today and all its staff will be sent to Purple Star Frozen Prison.”
“Purple Star Frozen Prison!” Gao Hong exclaimed.
The Frozen Prison was an ominous existence in Purple Star City. Officially it was a place used to detain prisoners, but no one who entered ever left alive.
Entering there was no better than being executed on the spot.
“You two aren’t bad though,” Bai Zheng Chu reached out and drew Hua You Meng and Gao Hong to him before declaring lightly. “Good, if you spend some quality time with us brothers here, you can avoid suffering in the Frozen Prison.”
His tone was indifferent, but his words were no less terrifying.
Gao Hong and Hua You Meng both went pale as the guards who had gathered around them laughed lewdly. Obviously, this was not the first time they had done this.
“Senior Bai…” Xia Jing Wu’s sweat dripped down his forehead as he forced out a smile, walked over, and cupped his fists. “Senior Bai, this lowly one is Xia Jing Wu and had the good fortune to meet Senior Bai three years ago. I wonder if Senior Bai still remembers?”
Bai Zheng Chu looked over at him coldly, “What thing are you?”
“Haha…” Xia Jing Wu chuckled, “Senior Bai need not remember such trivial things, en, however, this one has some friendship with Senior Bai’s subordinate, Senior Kang Sheng. Out of respect for that friendship, would Senior Bai be willing to enter the hall for a moment to allow this one to explain the situation in detail?”
While speaking, Xia Jing Wu took off the Space Ring from his hand and handed it to Bai Zheng Chu stealthily.
Almost all of his belongings were inside this Space Ring, but Xu Jing Wu had still handed it over without hesitation because he knew that, if the Chamber of Commerce could not survive this catastrophe, there was no way he could keep these things anyways.
“You know Kang Sheng?” Bai Zheng Chu glanced over at Xia Jing Wu in surprise.
Xia Jing Wu nodded repeatedly and bowed, “It is this one’s good fortune.”
Bai Zheng Chu sneered, “How could Kang Sheng associate with such trash? It seems he doesn’t need his patrol captain position anymore.”
As soon as this statement came out, Xia Jing Wu’s face changed drastically.
His words had now dragged the patrol captain named Kang Sheng into these muddy waters and brought disaster to him. After this incident, even if Bai Zheng Chu did not destroy Five Paths Chamber of Commerce, Kang Sheng certainly would not let them off.
The friendship between him and Kang Sheng was entirely based on Saint Crystals, and such a friendship was naturally quite fragile.
“Your courage isn’t small, daring to bribe a Vice Commander in front of everyone’s eyes!” Bai Zheng Chu coldly snorted before reaching out and seizing Xia Jing Wu’s Space Ring. Without even looking at it, he tossed it to one of his subordinates before declaring, “Five Paths Chamber of Commerce committed violence, flaunted Purple Star City’s laws, and attempted to bribe a Vice Commander to cover up their crimes, for these three charges, all of them are to be arrested.”
“Yes!” The group of cultivators snorted and surrounded everyone from Five Paths Chamber of Commerce.
Besides Hua You Meng, who was a Third-Order Origin Realm cultivator, only the woman named Gao Hong had reached the First-Order Origin Returning Realm out of the chamber of commerce’s members. Everyone else was just a Saint King. If Hua You Meng was at her peak, she may have been able to struggle, but under the effects of Xia Jing Wu’s Flower Petal Raindrops, she was now the weakest of all. Although she was still conscious, she could not use her Saint Qi and could only watch as her brothers and sisters were captured.
Soon, everyone from Five Paths Chamber of Commerce was taken down, with Xia Jing Wu and Yao Qing being the most bruised and swollen.
“We didn’t attack anyone, so why are we the ones being captured? I refuse to accept this!” Yao Qing yelled as he thrashed about.
“Oh? You did not hit anyone? So many people outside the city witnessed your Five Paths Chamber of Commerce’s people commit the act, could they all be lying?”
“If I say it wasn’t us, it wasn’t us!” Yao Qing ground his teeth and roared.
“Senior Bai…” Gao Hong wore a hesitant expression for a moment before she called out, “Reporting to Senior Bai, the one who committed violence was indeed not from our Chamber of Commerce. That person defeated Deacon Min with one move after all; how could our small Five Paths Chamber of Commerce hire such a master? Senior is wise and insightful, so surely you have seen through this already, yes?”
Bai Zheng Chu narrowed his eyes and stared at Gao Hong coldly as he snapped, “Are you accusing this Vice Commander of confusing right and wrong?”
“I wouldn’t dare!” Gao Hong trembled under the pressure as she grits her teeth and continued, “However, if Senior Bai only arrests us innocent people while letting the true culprit off, should this matter become known to Commander Lu, I don’t know whether Commander Lu would believe Senior Bai is confusing right and wrong and failing to execute his duties.”
“Impudence!” Bai Zheng Chu shouted sharply, his eyes becoming fierce.
Gao Hong forced herself to endure this pressure and stared up at him.
After a while, Bai Zheng Chu grinned meaningfully, “I did not expect that there were so many in this small chamber of commerce who don’t know how to fear the Heavens, good! Since you say the culprit is not from your Five Paths Chamber of Commerce… where is he?”
“He’s still here!” Gao Hong could not help but breathe a sigh of relief and quickly replied.
“Gao Hong!” Hua You Meng’s pretty face changed slightly as she directed a look of blame towards Gao Hong.
Gao Hong smiled sadly, “President, that person caused this trouble himself, so we can’t let our chamber of commerce take responsibility. Whether you blame me or not, I must tell the truth.”
Saying so, she stretched out her hand and tapped Hua You Meng’s neck, making it impossible for her to speak, only able to watch.
“The attacker is still in your chamber of commerce, yet you dare say he’s not one of you?” Bai Zheng Chu looked at Gao Hong with a sneer, “Do you take this Vice Commander for a fool?”
Gao Hong quickly explained, “Because he is not a member of our chamber of commerce, this one did her best to have the real culprit remain here to await Sir’s arrival so that the situation can be resolved.”
“Glib!” Bai Zheng Chu smiled slightly, seemingly satisfied with the answer, “Good, in that case, you lead the way. I want to see which bastard dares act presumptuously in my Purple Star City!”
“Sir, please!” Gao Hong stretched out her hand and immediately led the way.
Even if she was leading the way, she did not put down Hua You Meng though, whose body was still limp.
Gao Hong narrowed her eyes towards the pavilion where Yang Kai was located, her expression fluctuating. But after a moment, her beautiful eyes became firm, as if she had made some kind of big decision. Lowering one of her hands quietly, she pinched a few seals with her fingers.
Xia Jing Wu, who was following behind, saw this and his expression became solemn.
A moment later, under the leadership of Gao Hong, a group of people crowded around outside the guest house Yang Kai occupied.
“Sir, the person is inside. If Sir does not believe me, just tell him to come out and confront him, and you will know whether what I said before is true or false,” Gao Hong stood aside and pointed forward.
Bai Zheng Chu ignored her as his focus was on the pavilion in front of him. Releasing his Divine Sense, he probed the situation.
He had noticed that there was someone inside, but when he tried to spy on the other party’s cultivation, he found that his Divine Sense was unable to uncover anything. The moment it penetrated the other party’s body, it was like a stone sinking into the vast sea.
This discovery made Bai Zheng Chu stare blankly for a moment, aware that the opponent’s strength was not low.
This made sense though; after all, anyone who could defeat Deacon Min with a single blow was certainly not weak. At least, Bai Zheng Chu was unable to achieve such a feat.
As such, Bai Zheng Chu did not dare act too presumptuous and quickly took his Divine Sense back. However, this was still Purple Star City and he was used to being arrogant and domineering as a Vice Commander, so he still did not put Yang Kai in his eyes and shouted loudly, “Your Excellency dares wound my Purple Star City’s people? Quickly show yourself!”
No sound came from inside.
Bai Zheng Chu’s face suddenly became gloomy as he sneered, “Friend, if you know what’s best for you, come out on your own. I do not care what your background is or how powerful your cultivation is, anyone who dares act presumptuously in Purple Star City will have a miserable end. If you cooperate obediently, you may still have a chance to survive, otherwise…”
He waited for a while with a calm face, but still didn’t get a reply, causing him to become angry out of shame and shout furiously, “Playing cheap tricks! Just wait for this Vice Commander to throw you into the Frozen Prison. Let’s see if you can act so arrogant after that!”
Saying so, Bai Zheng Chu waved his hand and said to six nearby cultivators, “Go inside and capture him.”
The six cultivators were not stupid and knew that the man inside this pavilion was not someone to be provoked easily, but since Bai Zheng Chu gave them an order, they did not dare to disobey and could only charge in.
Everyone thought there would be some commotion next, and at worst, some sounds of fighting from inside the room, but on the contrary, after these six went in, they seemed to completely disappear, making not a single sound at all.
If it were not for their life auras not disappearing, everyone would have assumed they had simply vanished.
Bai Zheng Chu’s face grew more solemn.
The people from Five Paths Chamber of Commerce also looked at each other, unable to understand what happened inside.
A moment later, several figures flew out from inside and fell to the ground one by one, motionless.
Naturally, it was the six who just rushed inside, but each of them now wore a peaceful look on their face, as if they were asleep. On the surface, they did not seem to have suffered any harm and there was even one who wore a smile, seemingly dreaming a good dream.
*Ah…*
Bai Zheng Chu gasped audibly. These cultivators were all Origin Realm masters, and although they were just First-Order, they were not men who could be casually controlled. Even if he had taken action personally, he couldn’t achieve this.
Just who was it that was inside this house? Bai Zheng Chu’s heart began to pound nervously.
However, as one of the eight Vice Commanders of the Purple Star City Guard, he could not show weakness in this situation, so after steeling himself, he commanded, “Follow me.”
If he could not take down this troublemaker today, he would no longer be a Vice Commander. At this moment, he could only secretly pray that the other party was not an Origin King, otherwise, there was no way he could win.
A large group of guards rushed into the pavilion.
This time, it was no longer silent though as sounds of shouting and fighting immediately rang out. In the next moment, one cultivator after another was thrown out and fell to the ground, howling miserably.
In the blink of an eye, everyone who had rushed inside had been thrown out with the exception of Bai Zheng Chu, but from his continued screams, it was clear his situation was dire.
“Now!” Gao Hong, who had been watching coldly, suddenly yelled, held Hua You Meng tightly, and flew up into the sky.
Xia Jing Wu, who had already understood her intentions, also shouted, “Go!”
Yao Qing and Hai Tang did not react until this moment, but they still quickly followed after Xia Jing Wu and Gao Hong, wanting to escape from this chaos.
However, they only made it a couple dozen metres before a terrifying aura surrounded them. This aura was like a mountain pressing down on them, and before Gao Hong and the others were even aware of what was happening, they had been knocked back down to the ground.
In the sky above them, a series of ripples appeared and at their centre stood a figure which had appeared like a ghost.
It was impossible to know when this man had arrived, or if he had been here the whole time in secret. This man was wearing an Artifact Armour that exuded a stronger aura and was shouldering a long spear. A jade crown adorned his head, giving him a majestic and awe-inspiring image, like a great general on the battlefield.
The aura radiating from his body also made everyone suffocate.
His mere aura had pushed the group from Five Paths Chamber of Commerce back to the ground and even slightly injured them; however, his attention was not focused on Gao Hong and the others but was instead fixed on the pavilion Yang Kai was inside of.
“An Origin King!” Gao Hong’s beautiful face turned pale as she exclaimed.
The other party made no attempt to conceal his aura, so it was clear he was an Origin King. This discovery made Gao Hong’s heart sink as she realized that the Chamber of Commerce was really doomed.
“Ah!” A scream rang out and Bai Zheng Chu was flung out into the yard like a sack, his face bruised and swollen, in a much more miserable state than either Xia Jing Wu and Yao Qing. Bai Zheng Chu now had a swollen pig head, giving him an extremely comical appearance.
“You trash, how dare you disturb this King meditation, you deserve to be damned!” Yang Kai’s dissatisfied, extremely arrogant voice came from the room.
Although Bai Zheng Chu was beaten miserably, there was no danger to his life at the moment, but after hearing Yang Kai’s words, he shuddered and hurriedly got up from the ground. Just as he was about to escape though, he heard a cold snort coming from the sky. Bai Zheng Chu stiffened and looked up just in time to see the General-like cultivator staring at him with displeasure.
Bai Zheng Chu’s expression changed drastically, but he was overjoyed inside as he flew towards this man and shouted, “Lord Commander! Greetings, Lord Commander, this humble officer asks the Commander to take responsibility here. This bastard dared to injure the city’s gate guards, and when this humble officer came here to enforce the law, not only did he refuse to cooperate, he even attacked us. This humble officer has experienced this evil-doer’s skills and knows he is not his opponent, so he can only ask Lord Commander to uphold justice for Purple Star City!”
“En,” The Lord Commander snorted coldly and waved his hand, “Draw back, this man is an Origin King Realm, of course you are not his opponent.”
“Origin… Origin King!” Bai Zheng Chu nearly bit his tongue in shock. Although he had already guessed this, when he heard his Commander confirm his speculations, he could not help trembling slightly.
He had actually fought an Origin King just now. Moreover, he managed to withdraw with his life…
Considering this, Bai Zheng Chu could not help feeling a bit proud.
The people of Five Paths Chamber of Commerce were also stunned. Hua You Meng, who was still being held in Gao Hong’s arms, widened her beautiful eyes, as if she could not believe her ears… [Heavens, that young man really turned out to be an Origin King? He does not seem to be very old, does he? How could he already be an Origin King?]
When she thought back to how she had tried to ‘save’ him at the city gate, Hua You Meng could feel her cheeks becoming hot.
[He was an Origin King, yet I actually had eyes but failed to see and tried to stand up to speak for him…]
If she had not interfered at the time, with his cultivation, the gate guards and even Deacon Min would not have dared to provoke him; after all, Origin Kings were revered masters no matter where they went, and Purple Star wouldn’t offend one for no reason.
But instead, things had become more troublesome because she had intervened.
Thinking so, Hua You Meng was very embarrassed.
On the other hand, Gao Hong was staring excitedly and expectantly towards the guest house. She knew that whether the chamber of commerce would be able to escape this disaster all depended on whether this mysterious young man was powerful enough.
Her original plan was to lead Bai Zheng Chu and the others to Yang Kai and use him to deal with them.
Yang Kai being able to defeat Deacon Min with a single move obviously indicated that his strength was not low. Bai Zheng Chu was also a Third-Order Origin Realm cultivator like Deacon Min, so since Yang Kai could take care of Deacon Min, he should not have any problems dealing with Bai Zheng Chu.
If the two parties fought, no matter who won or lost, it would be their chance to escape with their lives.
That was why she had spoken the way she did to Yang Kai before, and why she had secretly given Xia Jing Wu a signal on the way over, one the old man naturally understood.
Unfortunately for her, although her plan was good, the appearance of another master had cut off all hope of escape.
As for this newcomer… Gao Hong quietly looked over at the cultivator dressed as a General and combined with the way Bai Zheng Chu had just addressed him, she was easily able to identify the other party.
Purple Star City Guard Commander, Lu Tian Feng!
“Finally, someone slightly decent has come,” Inside the room, Yang Kai’s arrogant tone remained undiminished, not putting Lu Tian Feng in his eyes at all.
Hearing this, Lu Tian Feng’s face flashed an unpleasant look as he coldly snorted and said, “Slightly decent? Your Excellency’s tone is not small.”
“Whether it’s small or not, you’ll know if you try it,” Yang Kai snickered back.
“Friend, why do you insist on acting like this in my Purple Star City?” Lu Tian Feng frowned, unexpectedly not getting angry but instead asking cautiously.
The other party was able to cultivate to the Origin King Realm, so obviously he was not a fool. Since this unknown young man knew this was Purple Star City yet he still dared to act presumptuous, not even putting the city Guard Commander in his eyes, he undoubtedly had enough strength to back up his arrogance, or a powerful background that allowed him to act this way.
As the Guard Commander, how could Lu Tian Feng not think of this?
Which was why he had no choice but to act with discretion.
“If you want to know who I am, come down here and speak to me face to face rather than standing up there.”
Lu Tian Feng’s expression became cold, “Is Your Excellency trying to provoke this Lu?”
“What’s wrong? Does Commander Lu not have the courage?”
“Nonsense!” Lu Tian Feng snorted, “You think such paltry threats can intimidate this General? Fine… Since you are so confident, then this General must see if you are qualified to act so. However, if you are just some blind fool, heh heh… Then don’t blame this Lu for being impolite.”
Saying so, with his spear in hand, and as a strong wind whipped around him, he stepped down from where he stood.
Everyone held their breath as the atmosphere grew tense, all of them watching as if a great storm was about to hit; after all, this was a conflict between two Origin Kings; who among them had ever witnessed such a scene before?
Not long after, Lu Tian Feng arrived in front of the pavilion and displaying the boldness of a powerful master he pushed open the door directly and went inside.
With a squeak… the door closed after Lu Tian Feng.
Everything went so quiet one could hear a needle drop…
No fight broke out, and not even an argument occurred.
The atmosphere was quite strange, but heavy enough that everyone could hear their own heartbeat. Bai Zheng Chu even perked up his ears to listen, trying to hear what was happening.
The Five Paths Chamber of Commerce members all exchanged bewildered glances, none of them able to understand what their current situation was.
After a cup of tea worth of time, the door opened again.
Lu Tian Feng stepped out serious, then in front of everyone’s eyes, turned around, carefully closed the door and then bowed deeply, “Since that is the case, I hope Sir will rest early today. Tomorrow, this one will come to pay his respects to Sir again.”
“No need, this King prefers peace and quiet,” Yang Kai’s voice came from inside the house.
“Yes!” Lu Tian Feng replied respectfully.
“Good, you withdraw then. But first, the backyard of this Five Paths Chamber of Commerce was destroyed by your subordinates…”
“Sir may rest assured; this one will definitely give Sir a satisfactory explanation.” Lu Tian Feng quickly said.
“Some people were also injured…”
“This one will handle matters appropriately!”
“En!”
Once no more sounds came from the room, Lu Tian Feng turned around with a solemn expression.
By now, everyone’s jaws had dropped as looks of pure disbelief filled their faces.
What exactly just happened?
The famous Purple Star City Guard Commander Lu Tian Feng, a powerful figure with near-unlimited authority in Purple Star City, was acting so respectful and obedient towards the young man inside the pavilion. Just what was the background of this person?
Everyone from Five Paths Chamber of Commerce could hardly process the scene before them and the burly bald-headed man Yao Qing even rubbed his eyes desperately, wondering if he was hallucinating because of his injuries.
“Lord… Lord Commander…” Bai Zheng Chu went forward to grovel, but Lu Tian Feng simply shot him a cold glare caused Bai Zheng Chu’s head to shrink back as he felt his situation becoming worrisome.
“I’ll deal with you later!” Lu Tian Feng ground his teeth and snorted coldly.
Bai Zheng Chu felt his head go blank as he stood there in shock.
“May I ask, who is in charge of this place?” Lu Tian Feng turned around once more and put on a friendly smile as he addressed Gao Hong and the others, a hint of flattery even apparent in his tone.
The members of Five Paths Chamber of Commerce felt like there was something wrong with their heads as they could not keep up with the changing situation, all of them just standing dumbfounded in place, unable to react.
It wasn’t until Lu Tian Feng called out to them that Gao Hong’s tender body trembled, and she put down Hua You Meng, who she had been holding in her arms the whole time, before offering her shoulder as support and introducing, “This is the President of our Chamber of Commerce. Does Commander Lu have some instruction for us?”
“I wouldn’t dare!” Lu Tian Feng’s hands fidgeted as he quickly put away his long spear artifact. Smiling at Hua You Meng, he asked in a respectful tone, “Dare I ask this lady’s name?”
Hua You Meng replied softly, “This Mistress is Hua You Meng, Lord Commander can simply address me by name. Please forgive this Mistress for being unable to offer a proper greeting at this time.”
“So it is President Hua, I’ve heard so much about you!” Lu Tian Feng put on a surprised expression, as if Hua You Meng’s name was as resounding as thunder, causing one’s ears to ring just from its mention. But Lu Tian Feng did not give her a chance to refute as he smiled widely and continued, “President Hua’s… um…”
“Five Paths Chamber of Commerce…” Bai Zheng Chu quickly informed him.
“En, this Lu has long heard of President Hua’s Five Paths Chamber of Commerce. Its reputation as an honest and upright establishment is well known, a model for all other chambers of commerce. En, seeing it today, it truly deserves its reputation, hahaha!”
Hua You Meng’s cheeks blushed bright red from this clearly nonsensical flattery.
Gao Hong and the others’ expressions were also extremely unnatural.
They were well aware of the chamber of commerce’s situation: Five Paths Chamber of Commerce was a small business that did not have many members. Even if there were not ten thousand such chambers of commerce in Purple Star City, there were at least eight thousand. What kind of status did Lu Tian Feng have? He was the City Guard Commander, one of the highest-ranking members of Purple Star. How could he possibly understand the situation of their tiny chamber of commerce? Suddenly being called a role model for all other chambers of commerce was a hat far too heavy for any of their heads to hold up.
However, everyone knew that this change in Lu Tian Feng’s attitude was completely due to that mysterious young man!
In Five Paths Chamber of Commerce’s backyard, Hua You Meng, Gao Hong, and the others looked on in shock. Compared to Lu Tian Feng’s humility, they were more concerned about Yang Kai’s identity and why the Commander of Purple Star City’s Guard had changed his attitude so greatly after just meeting him.
None of the flattery Lu Tian Feng was touting even entered their ears as they only felt their heads spinning.
“There seems to have been a small misunderstanding here. I do not know where this Lu’s stupid subordinates heard such an outrageous rumour to make them believe a troublemaker was in this area, but it seems they acted hastily and came to make an arrest for no reason, causing varying degrees of damage to the personnel and property of your chamber of commerce. President Hua may rest assured, this Lu, as the Commander of the Guard, will absolutely not allow you to suffer a loss in vain. This Lu will deal with the situation promptly and seriously to give President Hua a satisfactory explanation,” Lu Tian Feng declared solemnly as he patted his chest and promised.
“Ah… en…” Hua You Meng smiled forcefully, “This matter cannot be entirely blamed on Vice Commander Bai, we are also somewhat responsible.”
Hearing what she said, Bai Zheng Chu’s eyes began to tear up as he looked towards Hua You Meng with eyes full of gratitude.
“Is that so?” Lu Tian Feng raised his brow before carefully glancing towards the nearby guest house and saying cautiously, “Since President Hua is so reasonable…”
“Hmph!” From the pavilion, a single snort sounded.
Lu Tian Feng shivered at this snort and sternly declared, “Even if President Hua is so reasonable, they should be punished for mistakes they made. As a member of the Purple Star City Guard, if they cannot follow the law, who will? If anyone can just rush into a business without cause and hit and abuse its employees, will any chambers of commerce ever open in Purple Star City? Vice Commander Bai, what do you say?”
How could Bai Zheng Chu not know he had kicked an iron plate this time? Walking up with a face filled with remorse, he bowed his head and said, “Subordinate acted rashly and mismanaged this situation. Subordinate apologizes to President Hua and asks Lord Commander to deliver appropriate punishment.”
Hua You Meng waved her hands frantically as she repeatedly claimed she wouldn’t dare.
Lu Tian Feng coldly and righteously declared, “For having eyes but failing to see, offended President Hua and Five Paths Chamber of Commerce. This sentences you to one month’s imprisonment inside the Frozen Prison, understood?”
“The Frozen Prison!” Bai Zheng Chu shivered, his face going pale.
Just now he had said he would throw Xia Jing Wu and all the others into the Frozen Prison, but through a twist of fate, he was the one who was going to be imprisoned there. As one of the eight Vice Commanders of the City Guard, how could he not understand the horrors of the Frozen Prison?
That was a natural frozen world where one would freeze their Saint Qi no matter how high one’s cultivation was. In other words, once one entered the Frozen Prison, they could only rely on their physical strength to resist the bone-chilling cold.
But without Saint Qi, how many cultivators could resist such a frigid environment?
A month in the Frozen Prison was no different from being thrown into the gates of Hell!
“Hm?” Lu Tian Feng glared as he did not receive an immediate answer.
“Subordinate understands!” Bai Zheng Chu shrank his neck and nodded repeatedly.
“As long as you understand. En, this is just the punishment for the violence you committed against these good people. As for the damage you caused to Five Paths Chamber of Commerce… Hand over all your Space Rings.”
With Lu Tian Feng issuing such a command, who would dare to resist? One by one, like they had just been told their parents had been killed, all the guards took off their Space Rings and handed them over, including Bai Zheng Chu.
Lu Tian Feng smiled before handing the rings to Hua You Meng and saying, “President Hua, this Lu hopes you can be forgiving and not lower yourself to the same level as this group of idiots. This is compensation for your healing expenses.”
“Senior Lu…” Hua You Meng was completely dumbfounded. Facing the dazzling array of Space Rings, she did not dare refuse or accept, putting her at a loss for a moment.
“President Hua, please… please don’t refuse.” Lu Tian Feng said solemnly with a look that was almost pleading Hua You Meng to accept.
The man inside the nearby pavilion was still watching him, and Commander Lu knew that, if he did not handle this matter well, losing his position as Guard Commander would be the least of his worries.
Xia Jing Wu hurriedly stepped forward, chuckled, and cupped his fists to Lu Tian Feng, “Since Commander Lu has personally presided over justice, our Five Paths Chamber of Commerce will cooperate fully. Many thanks, Commander Lu, Commander Sir’s moral righteousness is worthy of admiration!”
“It’s my duty…” Lu Tian Feng took the opportunity to shove the Space Rings into Hua You Meng’s hand before quietly wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, thinking that the matter was finally completed. Although things had not been settled perfectly, he had at least made his position clear.
“What are you still doing stupidly standing here? Scram to the Frozen Prison to serve your punishment!” Lu Tian Feng roared at Bai Zheng Chu and the others.
“Yes!” Bai Zheng Chu and the other guards quickly fled, trembling in terror.
After all his subordinates disappeared, Lu Tian Feng turned around, cupped his fists to the pavilion, and grovelled, “Sir, are you satisfied with the handling of this matter?”
Yang Kai’s voice soon came from the room, “Commander Lu surely jests, it is the Commander’s responsibility to maintain the peace in the city, rewarding the good and punishing the evil. As long as you are satisfied that justice has been served, what does it matter what this King thinks?”
Upon hearing this, Lu Tian Feng was immediately relieved, knowing the other party would no longer pursue this issue. Quickly bowing his head, he followed up, “What Sir says is absolutely correct. This Lu will take his leave then, please have a good rest, Sir!”
Saying so, he nodded politely to Hua You Meng and the others before quickly walking out.
Hua You Meng, Gao Hong, Xia Jing Wu, Yao Qing, Hai Tang, and all the other employees of Five Paths Chamber of Commerce stood dumbfounded, all of them wearing extremely strange expressions. Recalling the scenes that just played out before them, everyone felt like they were seeing some kind of impossible dream.
After a long silence, Hua You Meng snorted and exhaled fiercely, releasing a pink mist from her body. It was the remnants of the Flower Petal Raindrops that had been suppressing her Saint Qi.
“President, are you all right?” Gao Hong quickly looked over at her and asked.
Hua You Meng nodded lightly. She was, in fact, the only one who had remained unharmed in the conflict with Bai Zheng Chu just now; everyone else had suffered varying degrees of injuries.
“President, should we…” Gao Hong glanced in the direction of Yang Kai.
Hua You Meng slowly shook her head and said, “Uncle Xia, go close the shop and post notice that we will remain closed for the next five days. Have all the employees rest and tend to anyone who has injuries. Make sure we provide enough for everyone’s healing expenses. These rings… en, I’ll leave them in Uncle Xia’s care.”
“Yes.” Xia Jing Wu nodded while accepting the Space Rings.
“Yao Qing, Hai Tang, you two assist Uncle Xia,” Hua You Meng next called out to the side.
“En.” Hai Tang heard this and obediently nodded, but Yao Qing actually cast an indignant look towards the guest house and said, “I want to…”
“You want what?” Gao Hong cut him off abruptly, “Hurry up and get out!”
Yao Qing could not help rolling his eyes, but he still shut his mouth and followed Xia Jing Wu and Hai Tang out.
In a blink of an eye, only Gao Hong and Hua You Meng were left. The two women looked at each other and saw the hesitation in each other’s eyes as they passed messages between themselves using their Divine Sense.
After a while, Hua You Meng sighed, turned around, and said, “For today’s matter, this Mistress offers her sincere thanks.”
“President Hua is too polite, it was just a slight effort,” Yang Kai smiled calmly. He heard both a little awe, fear, and even blame, in Hua You Meng’s tone, but that was only to be expected so he did not care too much about it.
“Sir must be tired; this Mistress won’t disturb Sir any further. Tomorrow, this Mistress will pay a visit to Sir again,” Hua You Meng whispered.
“Very well. President Hua must have many things to attend to, just attend to your own business.”
Hua You Meng nodded, winked at Gao Hong, and the two women withdrew one after another.
Inside the guest house, Yang Kai wore a helpless smile on his face as he appreciatively played with a token in his hand, muttering to himself, “I didn’t expect this thing to be so useful. Even someone like Lu Tian Feng was like a mouse seeing a cat the moment he saw it.”
Lu Tian Feng was a First-Order Origin King, and even if Yang Kai could suppress him by force, the reason he had been so deferential and respectful was all because of this token.
“Of course it is, that is one of my Purple Star’s Purple Star Orders. Anyone who holds this token has status equal to my Purple Star’s Great Elder. Lu Tian Feng is only a Guard Commander, so how could he dare act presumptuously in front of an Order holder?” Zi Dong’s voice suddenly came out as his Soul Avatar appeared from the Soul Sustaining Bowl which had been placed to the side by Yang Kai.
“How many of these did your Purple Star create?” Yang Kai asked.
Zi Dong thought for a while before replying, “As far as I know, only two have been given out, and both to Second-Order Origin Kings. The Purple Star Order not only represents elite status but even grants a certain degree of authority to mobilize my Purple Star’s resources and personnel. As such, only those who have made great contributions to Purple Star will receive them.”
“So that’s how it is.” Yang Kai nodded lightly, better understanding the value of this token.
He had found this thing in Zi Long’s Space Ring, and although the materials used to make it were rare and precious, Yang Kai hadn’t paid any attention to it until today.
He simply had no choice. His original plan was to act sneakily; steal the Star Emperor Token and then leave Purple Star. However, after Hua You Meng and Five Paths Chamber of Commerce appeared, he could no longer proceed as planned.
Although he was not afraid of confronting Lu Tian Feng, this was Purple Star City after all, and if he really were to fight this Guard Commander, it would only attract the attention of stronger opponents.
So, Yang Kai had asked Zi Dong if he had a way to deal with the situation.
Zi Dong had then recommended he use the Purple Star Order.
Giving it a try, it had worked perfectly.
Lu Tian Feng had arrived fiercely but left with his head almost touching the ground. With practically no effort, Yang Kai was able to resolve today’s issue.
Unfortunately, Purple Star would begin paying very close attention to him after this, which would make it far more difficult for him to steal the Star Emperor Token. Yang Kai secretly felt a headache coming on as he had to re-think his plans from scratch.
Considering all this, Yang Kai looked at Zi Dong and said, “Tell me about your Purple Star’s situation. What kind of masters there are and are there are any internal disputes?”
Although Zi Dong was very reluctant to cooperate, with his Soul now in Yang Kai’s hands, he did not dare to resist. Having been asked and with no other choice, he began honestly explaining many things about Purple Star to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai took down this information carefully because there was a chance some of it would be useful soon. He also asked a few questions when it came to key points, which Zi Dong coordinated with and explained everything he was able to.
The next day, early morning.
Hua You Meng came to the guest house as scheduled, holding a tray in her hands that contained several bunches of spirit fruits.
At first glance, it was obvious that these spirit fruits were not ordinary. They exuded a strong aura and rich fragrance. Obviously, they were treasures to cultivators.
Standing outside the door, just as she was hesitating about what to say, the door opened on its own initiative and Yang Kai, who was sitting cross-legged inside, smiled at her lightly.
“This Mistress greets Sir,” Hua You Meng hurriedly and elegantly bowed.
“President Hua is too polite, please come in,” Yang Kai gestured.
“Pardon me.”
Saying so, Hua You Meng stepped inside, put down the tray in her hands, and continued, “The place is quite simple, so this Mistress has taken the liberty to prepare some refreshments for Sir. I hope Sir won’t refuse.”
“Blue Blood Exquisite Fruits?” Yang Kai glanced at the bunch of amethyst grape-like fruits on the plate and was slightly surprised, nodding in approval, “President Hua’s consideration is appreciated.”
“As long as Sir is pleased,” Hua You Meng accompanied him carefully, standing to the side, seemingly both cautious and uneasy.
Even now, she was unaware of the other party’s identity or status, nor did she know why someone as powerful as Lu Tian Feng was so scared of him. If the events of yesterday had taken place in any other small chamber of commerce, it would likely have been totally destroyed, but not only was Five Paths Chamber of Commerce safe and sound, they had even received a great deal of compensation on top of a personal apology from Lu Tian Feng.
This was not something a man of ordinary high status could achieve. This young man was clearly so important that even masters like Lu Tian Feng had to treat him with reverence, so how could Hua You Meng dare act carelessly?
What troubled Hua You Meng the most though, was that she didn’t even know the other party’s name.
“Please have a seat, President Hua. There’s no need to be so formal,” Yang Kai looked at her with a smile.
“In front of Sir, this Mistress doesn’t dare to be presumptuous,” Hua You Meng pursed her red lips and squeezed out a slightly anxious smile, insisting on remaining standing.
Yang Kai rubbed his forehead, thought for a while, and said solemnly, “President Hua, do you still blame this one for what happened?”
Hua You Meng’s pretty face abruptly changed, and she quickly waved her hands frantically, “Why would Sir think so? If Sir had not stepped in yesterday, I’m afraid my Five Paths Chamber of Commerce would have been destroyed and all my brothers and sisters would not have escaped death. This Mistress only has gratitude for Sir, how could she dare blame him?”
“Haha, I hid my strength and identity, and ran into you for no reason, bringing such a disaster to you. Does President Hua truly have no complaints?”
Hua You Meng’s brow furrowed slightly as her innermost thoughts seemed to be seen through by Yang Kai, causing her to go somewhat speechless.
“Not just President Hua, but also your companions have similar opinions, no? They just don’t dare to show it,” Yang Kai chuckled.
Hua You Meng smiled forcefully and said, “Please don’t misunderstand, Sir. There is an old saying that when Immortals fight, mortals suffer. This Mistress and Five Paths Chamber of Commerce are just a small force in this area. Any great disturbance is enough to tear us to pieces.”
As she spoke, she seemed to gain more courage and began forming her words more clearly, “I am truly grateful to Sir for what happened yesterday, but I would not wish to experience it ever again. However, this Mistress’ experience is lacking so she really cannot understand what my Five Paths Chamber of Commerce possibly has that would attract Sir to stop here. With Sir’s identity and strength, is there anywhere in Purple Star City that you cannot go?”
“Indeed,” Yang Kai nodded. “But if I left yesterday, you would all definitely suffer, so I chose to stay. President Hua offered her aid to me at the city gates, so I could not just abandon you to your fate.”
Hua You Meng was startled but soon nodded lightly.
Yang Kai laughed, “Starting over, this one’s name is Yang Kai, and hiding my strength before was just for convenience. If I were to go around announcing I am an Origin King everywhere, wouldn’t that appear too arrogant? As for my status… it is inconvenient for me to say any more so please forgive me for holding back, President Hua.”
Hua You Meng nodded, “Sir must have his own considerations.”
“Yes, but you don’t need to concern yourself too much with any of this. Regardless of what my status and identity are, you should just treat me as an ordinary Origin King…”
Hua You Meng frowned and was a little dazed, but seeing that Yang Kai looked sincere, she didn’t know what to think right away. After some thought, she realized that, with Yang Kai’s strength, there was no reason for him to deceive her, so she simply replied seriously, “This Mistress was too suspicious. Please do not take offence, Sir.”
“There’s no need to address me as Sir, I’m also not used to it. Today I simply wanted to let President Hua know that everything that happened was just an unfortunate coincidence and I don’t have any plans or intentions towards your Five Paths Chamber of Commerce,” Yang Kai looked at Hua You Meng sincerely.
“This Mistress understands,” Seeing him act so forthright, Hua You Meng believed him and only hesitated for a moment before asking, “It’s just that if this Mistress doesn’t address you as Sir, should she call you… Senior?”
Yang Kai lightly coughed, “Just call me by name.”
“This Mistress wouldn’t dare!” Hua You Meng waved her hands in a panic.
“Forget it, just call me as you’d like,” Yang Kai didn’t insist and simply reached out to push the tray of spirit fruits back while saying, “This Blue Blood Exquisite Fruit is useless to me as anything but a delicacy. On the other hand, President Hua can purify her Saint Qi if she consumes them, so please take them back.”
Hua You Meng smiled and looked at Yang Kai with some gratitude, “Many thanks, Sir.”
She had bought this plate of spirit fruit at a very high price, and they were quite rare. If it weren’t for Yang Kai’s identity and strength, how could Hua You Meng have done this? She was a frugal President who would normally never spend so wastefully.
“En, someone is outside looking for you,” Yang Kai’s expression suddenly changed as he glanced outside.
Hua You Meng looked out but did not see anyone outside the door, but just when she was about to ask, she saw Gao Hong hurriedly walking over.
Gao Hong’s face was filled with smiles, as if something good had just happened.
“Sir, please wait for a moment. This Mistress will quickly deal with this,” Hua You Meng said before hurriedly withdrawing.
When she met Gao Hong outside, the two women whispered to each other, and soon Hua You Meng wore a look of surprise and asked urgently, “Really?”
Gao Hong nodded seriously, to which Hua You Meng replied in pleasant surprise, “Let me go out and have a look.”
Saying so, she hurried back into the store.
Shortly after, Hua You Meng appeared neatly in Five Paths Chamber of Commerce’s front foyer. At this moment, Xia Jing Wu, Hai Tang, and Yao Qing were waiting quietly together with a group of cultivators dressed in shining armour. At the lead of this group of cultivators was a pale-faced man who stood at attention while waiting silently.
Seeing their attire, these cultivators were easily identifiable as Purple Star City Guard, the same as Bai Zheng Chu and Lu Tian Feng from yesterday.
After seeing Hua You Meng, the lead man quickly cupped his fists and respectfully said, “I take it this Madam is the famous Five Paths Chamber of Commerce’s President Hua?”
Hua You Meng was slightly taken aback but still replied promptly, “Not at all, Hua You Meng greets this Sir.”
“President Hua is too polite,” The pale-faced man smiled amiably. “Allow me to introduce myself, this one is Purple Star City Guard Vice Commander Qu Zheng!”
“This Mistress has long heard Vice Commander Qu’s honoured name, but I wonder what Vice Commander Qu has come to my humble chamber of commerce today for?” Although she had received some news from Gao Hong just now, Hua You Meng couldn’t be certain of anything yet, so she still took the time to ask.
“This Qu has come here today on orders of Senior Lu to hand these things over to President Hua.” Saying so, he took out a jade box from his Space Ring and handed it over respectfully.
Hua You Meng wore a solemn look as she reached out to accept the jade box.
Upon opening the jade box, Hua You Meng saw that it contained a number of neatly stacked papers, and after pulling out one and examining it, she couldn’t help calling out in shock, “Land deeds!”
“What?” Xia Jing Wu and the others were also shocked, with even Gao Hong’s jaw dropping.
Although Qu Zheng had said when he arrived that he had come to deliver a gift to Five Paths Chamber of Commerce, he had not explained what that gift was, but seeing the land deeds at this moment, everyone finally understood.
“So many land deeds?” Hua You Meng was completely stunned as she began taking the deeds out one by one. There were more than thirty deeds in the box, each one representing ownership of a shop or plot of land.
“Ahaha, President Hua is too serious. En, these land deeds are for all the stores on Soaring Dragon Street, where Five Paths Chamber of Commerce is located,” Qu Zheng explained with a smile, “Senior Lu said that although Five Paths Chamber of Commerce is small, it has operated for many years with great integrity and made significant contributions to the development of Purple Star City, a model for all merchants. These land deeds are a special token of appreciation for the hard work your chamber of commerce has done and are being transferred to President Hua in hopes that others will follow the example of your chamber of commerce.”
“This…” Hua You Meng’s tender body trembled, unable to believe what she was seeing with her own eyes, simply feeling that the land deeds in her hands were so heavy that they were crushing her beneath them.
“President Hua, please don’t refuse,” Qu Zheng stretched out his hand and stopped her before she could say anything, declaring solemnly. “This Qu is here on orders. If President Hua refuses, then this Qu will not be able to fulfil his mission and will be punished with imprisonment in the Frozen Prison. This Qu has heard that President Hua has a kind heart, so this Qu begs her not to make things difficult for him.”
Hua You Meng looked at Qu Zheng as if she did not know whether to laugh or cry.
Qu Zheng immediately struck while the iron was hot, smiled, and said, “Good, this Qu will take it as President Hua accepting these, so he will now return now to report he has completed his mission.”
“How could that…” Hua You Meng was a bold and wise woman, but she was still somewhat overwhelmed right now, not knowing how to respond. After a moment, she hurriedly said, “Uncle Xia, prepare a gift for our honoured guest’s hard work.”
She knew from the words the other party had spoken that she couldn’t return these land deeds.
Uncle Xia responded and hurried to prepare some small offerings.
Qu Zheng, however, reacted with something akin to terror as he hurriedly cried out, “President Hua, there’s no need for that! This Qu is simply doing his duty, how could he dare accept any benefits? President Hua’s sentiments are more than enough.”
The other guards had also gone pale, as if the small gifts Xia Jing Wu wanted to offer them were some kind of deadly scourge to be avoided at all costs.
Qu Zheng stood on the spot anxiously, wiping the cold sweat on his forehead vigorously as he glanced towards the backyard from time to time.
After a while, he heard a voice in his ears, “Good, go back and tell Lu Tian Feng that he has handled the situation well this time and this King is very satisfied.”
Like he had received a pardon from the Heavens, Qu Zheng cupped his fists in that direction and bowed deeply while calling out, “Many thanks, Sir!”
Saying so, he quickly turned to Hua You Meng and said, “This Qu will take his leave. Good day, President Hua!”
As soon as his voice fell, he dashed out, his figure barely visible from behind as it raced off.
In the Five Paths Chamber of Commerce, everyone looked around at each other, still in shock and confusion, mixed with a great deal of pleasant surprise.
“President… are these land deeds really for the entire Soaring Dragon Street?” Gao Hong asked with a trembling voice. If so, the value of this box of land deeds was simply inestimable!
Under the leadership of Hua You Meng, the people of Five Paths Chamber of Commerce had worked hard for more than twenty years before finally managing to purchase a small shop on Soaring Dragon Street, and they weren’t even the official owners, simply renters with a thirty-year contract. Not only did they need to pay a large sum of money to Purple Star City’s administration every year, but the city would come to take back this shop when their contract was over.
But now, a box of more than thirty land deeds had fallen into Hua You Meng’s hands…
This box represented the ownership of more than thirty shops on a main street! Any merchant could see the massive value in it.
Gao Hong and the others almost fainted from happiness.
Hua You Meng’s hands were also trembling as she checked through the box again before she looked up at all the expectant eyes around her and haltingly said, “It’s true…”
“Hahahaha, it is our Five Paths Chamber of Commerce’s time to rise!” Yao Qing kept patting his bald head, seemingly too excited to even settle down, his eyes flashing a fierce light as he thought about the bright future ahead of them. “That damn Heavenly Yuan Firm next door has always been competing maliciously with us, hmph, now let’s see how they fight with us! Just wait, I’ll be sure to sweep them out of their store! That’s right, that Treasure Pill Hall down the street also needs to go. When I went with Hai Tang last time, those arrogant bastards berated us before throwing us out, but now their land deed is in our hands. Let us see if they dare throw Father here out now! Next time, Hai Tang and I will go over there and teach them a lesson!”
Hai Tang stood by his side and nodded vigorously, apparently holding a deep grudge about what had happened last time.
“Only villains seek petty vengeance!” Xia Jing Wu glared at Yao Qing, who only smirked and rubbed his head awkwardly, not daring to offer any rebuttal. In Five Paths Chamber of Commerce, Hua You Meng had the highest prestige, followed by Xia Jing Wu as the chamber of commerce’s strategist. Sometimes, his words carried even more weight than Hua You Meng’s.
“Uncle Xia, how do you see this matter…” Hua You Meng finally recovered from the huge shock and turned to Xia Jing Wu hesitantly.
The latter stroked his beard without any excitement, instead wearing a deep frown as he pondered, only quietly whispering to Hua You Meng a moment later, “President, the core of this matter is there.”
Saying so, he gestured towards the backyard before continuing, “Whether it is the attitude and compensation of Commander Lu yesterday or today’s land deeds, none of it is because of our Five Paths Chamber of Commerce’s abilities. Since the key to all of this does not lie with us, President might as well consult with the one whose opinion does matter. Perhaps, he will have a better understanding of what to do next.”
Hua You Meng thought for a moment before nodding lightly and ordering, “You’re all free to go about your business as usual, but keep what has happened today a secret. As for the chamber of commerce, it will remain closed today.”
Saying so, as if the wind was carrying her feet, Hua You Meng hurried back to the backyard.
Soon after, she returned to the guest house where Yang Kai was staying.
Yang Kai looked at her with a smile, apparently aware of what had just happened outside.
Hua You Meng took out the jade box without any hesitation and placed it on the table in front of Yang Kai before saying, “Sir, this is far too precious for my Five Paths Chamber of Commerce to enjoy. Keeping it will likely just provoke more misfortune for us, so I hope Sir can process it appropriately.”
After recovering from her shock and excitement, she gradually realized that Lu Tian Feng having someone deliver this box of land deeds to her was entirely because of Yang Kai. She did not know Yang Kai’s true background, but because he was here, just one day ago, Lu Tian Feng put on a humble and even reverent demeanour towards Five Paths Chamber of Commerce; however, if one day Yang Kai were to leave, these thirty land deeds would definitely become a disaster to them.
An ordinary man is innocent, but treasures can make one guilty. In Purple Star City, even in the outer city, land deeds were extremely rare and precious treasures that only the most powerful merchants and organizations were qualified to possess. Five Paths Chamber of Commerce was simply too small to have such qualifications.
Would Yang Kai always be there to shelter Five Paths Chamber of Commerce? Hua You Meng knew the answer was no; after all, the other party was an Origin King. It was already the accumulated good karma of their ancestors that he had been willing to help them once, so how could they expect him to continue protecting them from now on?
Yang Kai glanced at her thoughtfully before saying, “Since they were given to you, President Hua should accept them. In any case, these things are worthless to me; even if I accepted them, they’d have no use.”
Hua You Meng gave a wry smile, “But…”
Yang Kai stretched out his hand to interrupt her, “No buts. You can relax and just accept them without any worries. I will bear all the consequences if there are any.”
Hua You Meng stared at Yang Kai in a daze as she was able to understand what kind of commitment he was making. Gratitude welling up inside her heart, she took a deep breath and declared, “Since Sir has said so, this Mistress will simply offer her sincere thanks.”
Although her cultivation was not bad, she was a businesswoman at her core, and no businesswoman would refuse this box of land deeds.
Yang Kai smiled and said, “But I want to know, how does President Hua plan to deal with these land deeds?”
“How do I plan to deal with them?” Hua You Meng froze for a moment before saying, “I have always had a dream: I always wanted to hold the land deed of my Five Paths Chamber of Commerce in my own hand, but land deeds in Purple Star City are so expensive that they are quite difficult to acquire. Our original plan was to spend another ten years or so to save up enough Saint Crystals and buy our land deed, then use this shop as a foundation to slowly develop from a small chamber of commerce to a large chamber of commerce. Standing shoulder to shoulder with a giant like Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce may be impossible, but I wish to one day stand tall enough to not be bullied by anyone!”
As she spoke, she seemed to let go of her restraints and caution, her pretty face turning ruddy with a hint of excitement, “This is not just my personal dream though, but also Uncle Xia, Sister Hong, Yao Qing, and Hai Tang’s dream. We have been working hard towards this dream, doing everything from street peddling to wandering aimlessly to sell our wares. After living such a life, who would not want to have a stable home? Now, this dream has been achieved so easily… With these land deeds, my Five Paths Chamber of Commerce can expand to more than ten times its original size. We will be able to hang our sign above the entire Soaring Dragon Street now and my Five Paths Chamber of Commerce will be able to sell our goods throughout Purple Star City!”
Reaching the end of her speech, Hua You Meng felt her heart racing as her eyes flashed brilliantly, as if she could see a beautiful picture of the future unfold in front of her, sinking her into a wondrous dream.
It was not until she noticed that Yang Kai was looking at her with a smile that Hua You Meng’s expression turned embarrassed, her face going quite red as she whispered, “I’ve shown Sir something embarrassing…”
“Everyone’s dream is sacred, why would I laugh at yours?” Yang Kai said seriously, “President Hua should have struggled very hard these past decades, yes?”
“There has been much hard work, but with my fellow brothers and sisters by my side, hard work is not a problem,” Hua You Meng smiled sweetly, dazzling Yang Kai for a moment.
Seemingly perceiving the change in Yang Kai’s eyes, Hua You Meng quickly lowered her head as her heart began to pound violently, feeling quite nervous as she hoped he would not suddenly take interest in her.
However, when she thought about it again, it actually didn’t seem like a bad proposition to catch the eye of such a young and promising Origin King. Although she had not been in contact with him for long, Hua You Meng was quite proud of her ability to read others. Yang Kai was different from those other Origin Kings who only knew how to act lofty and arrogant. Not only was he approachable, but his appearance wasn’t bad either, having a brave and heroic face and a well-built body…
[What are you thinking about!?] Hua You Meng suddenly screamed to herself as she could not wait to find a hole to crawl into and disappear.
“Good, President Hua seems to have a comprehensive plan for the future, but I wonder if you would be willing to listen to my advice?” Yang Kai naturally didn’t know what Hua You Meng was thinking about, so he simply continued the conversation.
“Sir is the benefactor of my Five Paths Chamber of Commerce. If you have any advice, please do say it,” Hua You Meng quickly composed herself and said.
“These land deeds… Don’t keep any of them, sell them all!” Yang Kai quickly said.
“Huh?” Hua You Meng was startled, not having expected that Yang Kai would say such a thing. If she did this, then the future dream she had just described would disappear.
All her dreams would never be realized.
“Do you trust me?” Yang Kai looked at Hua You Meng sincerely, staring straight into her eyes.
Being stared at with such a focused gaze, Hua You Meng suddenly became flustered and put aside her eyes before nodding subconsciously, “This Mistress naturally trusts Sir.”
“Very good. While it is not convenient for me to give a specific reason, you can’t keep these land deeds. It would be best to deal with them as soon as possible. One day, you will understand why I am giving you this advice.”
He came to Purple Star City this time to steal their Star Emperor Token, and there was no doubt he would soon come into conflict with Purple Star. Although Lu Tian Feng deliberately showed his favour because of the existence of the Purple Star Order, even sending over so many land deeds, once Yang Kai’s real purpose was exposed, Five Paths Chamber of Commerce would definitely be implicated. At that time, they would definitely not be able to remain in Purple Star City and these land deeds would all become worthless.
The best option for them would be to gather a large number of Saint Crystals while by selling off the land deeds now.
As long as they had enough Saint Crystals, what worry would they have about their chamber of commerce’s future?
Although Hua You Meng did not understand why Yang Kai asked her to do this, after calming down and thinking for a while, she vaguely thought of something and couldn’t help trembling as she nodded, “I understand.”
Yang Kai looked at her deeply and smiled, “President Hua is really an intelligent person.”
“I’m just a small woman who is following Sir’s advice. En, can I ask for Sir’s assistance in a certain matter then?”
“What matter?” Yang Kai became curious.
“Could you accompany me out?”
“What for?” Yang Kai raised his brow.
“It’s like this…” Hua You Meng explained, “There are too many land deeds here, and if we really must sell them, I’m afraid my Five Paths Chamber of Commerce won’t be able to do so for a good price, as that is simply beyond our ability. This Mistress wants to hand over these land deeds to Clear Sky Auction House for them to process, that way they will promote them at their auction on our behalf and allow us to maximize our profit while minimizing our risk.”
“You want to sell them at an auction?” Yang Kai’s eyes lit up, “Good idea, President Hua really has a talent for business!”
“Sir surely jests!” Hua You Meng flushed.
“No no, I sincerely admire your talent. An ordinary person can’t think of such a good idea in such a short period of time.”
“Then does Sir agree?” Hua You Meng looked at Yang Kai in pleasant surprise.
“En, I wanted to go out for a walk to see the richness of Purple Star City anyways, so I’ll have to trouble President Hua to be my guide,” Yang Kai smiled lightly.
Hua You Meng quickly got up and said happily, “Then please wait a moment, Sir. I’ll be right back after I inform Uncle Xia and the others about my plan to sell these land deeds.”
“Go on, I’ll wait for you outside,” Yang Kai nodded.
Some time later, Hua You Meng walked out of Five Paths Chamber of Commerce.
Regarding the sale of the thirty-odd land deeds, everyone in the Chamber of Commerce had different thoughts. Some, like the previous Hua You Meng, wanted to keep all the land deeds to grow the Chamber of Commerce; after all, this was a rare opportunity that no one wanted to miss. Some wanted to compromise, selling half while keeping the other half, this way, not only would they have enough shops, but also enough Saint Crystals.
However, in the end everyone agreed to Hua You Meng’s decision to sell all the land deeds.
Although they did not know why Yang Kai would suggest this, they dared not disregard the words of an Origin King. However, because of this, Five Paths Chamber of Commerce would miss an opportunity to establish themselves in Purple Star City, making many sigh.
Hua You Meng looked around and saw Yang Kai squatting in front of a stall not far away, bargaining with its owner.
[Do Origin Kings actually buy things like this?] Hua You Meng felt strange just seeing this scene and quickly walked over. Soon, the voices of Yang Kai and the seller reached her ears.
“Brother, my Red Copper Web Crystal is a good Artifact Refining material that took me a lot of effort to mine. Using it, one can definitely refine a Saint King Grade High-Rank artifact. Isn’t your offer of 10,000 High-Rank Saint Crystals a bit outrageous?” The seller exclaimed angrily.
“Ten thousand isn’t low,” Yang Kai ignored the seller’s argument entirely and just said back with a smile.
“Good, good, you drive a hard bargain. I’ll sell it to you for 80,000 Saint Crystals. Consider it my respect for your business skills.”
“10,000!”
“70,000. This is really my bottom line, I can’t lower it any further!”
“10,000!”
“Are you serious? Bumping into a fellow who cannot tell the quality of goods is my misfortune it seems… Fine, you look like a handsome and intelligent man my brother, so I’ll give you a bit of face. 65,000!”
“10,000!”
“60,000!”
“10,000!”
“Damn it, which of my enemies sent you to mock me? Do you think I won’t hack you to death here!?” The seller was so angered by Yang Kai after a while that he drew out a Saint King Grade sabre and pointed it at his nose while fiercely cursing, seemingly saying he would not tolerate any more nonsense.
Yang Kai let out a hearty laugh, quickly got up, and rushed away.
“Damn fool!” The seller saw him run off and stowed his artifact before yelling out towards the disappearing Yang Kai, “Don’t let me see you here again, or I’ll beat you senseless!”
“Sir…” Hua You Meng appeared next to Yang Kai with a deep frown on her face, “This… this is…”
She could not believe what she had just seen. A dignified Origin King Realm master actually bargaining back and forth over a few thousand Saint Crystals with a Saint King Realm cultivator for half an hour, in the end not actually buying anything and being driven away.
Was he really an Origin King? Did he not care how offensive that seller had been to him? If that seller knew he had just cursed out and pointed a weapon at an Origin King, it was really hard to imagine just what his expression would be.
“I was just experiencing the local customs of Purple Star City while passing the time away,” Yang Kai explained with a smile. “En, the temper of Purple Star City’s cultivators is a bit hot.”
Hua You Meng did not know whether to laugh or cry, thinking that anyone who was pestered so endlessly would react similarly.
“Anyways, let’s head to that Clear Sky Auction House to deal with the land deeds,” Yang Kai motioned. “Lead the way.”
“En,” Hua You Meng responded and obediently led the way.
Yang Kai kept looking around as they walked forward, as if he was a countryside hick who had just come to the big city for the first time, everything giving him a fresh feeling.
As for Hua You Meng, her head was a mess. Yang Kai’s performance completely subverted her perception of Origin Kings.
In her imagination, Origin Kings should be like Lu Tian Feng, arrogant and aloof, but when she saw Yang Kai mix into the crowd, he seemed no different from an ordinary cultivator, even somewhat naïve compared to most. If she were to have met him right now, Hua You Meng would not believe he was an Origin King.
Soon after, Hua You Meng arrived at a carriage rental stall.
The carriages were pulled by two monster beasts that looked similar to horses. The carriages were spacious and comfortable. After Yang Kai and Hua You Meng boarded one, the carriage driver swung his whip and the carriage moved forward smoothly.
“These Snow Treading Colts are Fifth-Order Monster Beasts, and although they don’t have much combat power, their speed is quite good, so Purple Star City raised many of them to use as a means of transportation in the city for cultivators. Because flying is not permitted, and the city is quite large, these carriages are very popular with everyone, but the cost to use them even once isn’t low, five thousand High-Rank Saint Crystals,” Hua You Meng explained to Yang Kai as they rode.
“Fifth-Order Monster Beasts…” Yang Kai nodded. “Purple Star certainly lives up to its reputation.”
Although Fifth-Order Monster Beasts were not anything special on their own, if you wanted to fill the entire city with carriages pulled by them, at least tens of thousands would be necessary. This was not something an ordinary great force could achieve. Purple Star must have mastered some special techniques for breeding these Monster Beasts in captivity and had methods for domesticating them.
While talking to Hua You Meng, Yang Kai frowned suddenly and looked up into the sky.
Under his gaze, the roof of the carriage was as good as glass, unable to block his sight at all.
“What happened?” Hua You Meng asked in surprise when she saw his expression change.
“Is fighting allowed in Purple Star City?” Yang Kai asked rhetorically.
“Of course not. Is there some blind fool trying to act presumptuously here?” Hua You Meng was shocked.
“Interesting,” Yang Kai smiled slightly before stretching out his hand and releasing an invisible field around the carriage to shield it.
The next moment, there was a violent series of noises in the sky, accompanied by several explosions.
Hua You Meng’s face changed as she suddenly became slightly nervous.
Although she was not affected by the aftermath of the fight because of Yang Kai’s protection, she was also a Third-Order Origin Realm cultivator and realized that it was an Origin King who had acted just now.
She finally understood why Yang Kai did what he just did. Obviously, he was trying to avoid having the Monster Beast pulling their carriage become startled.
Because after this battle, the Snow Treading Colts pulling other carts were neighing and running about chaotically while the cart she and Yang Kai were in was safe.
This scene puzzled the driver of their carriage greatly.
However, the battle ended just as quickly as it began, and by the time Hua You Meng released her Divine Sense to investigate, no one remained up in the sky. All that was there was a damaged Starship.
“Hm? Is that…” Hua You Meng’s brow furrowed as she quickly opened the curtains of the carriage and looked up, a moment later her complexion changed greatly as she quickly sat back down.
“What did you find?” Yang Kai asked.
Hua You Meng looked at him and said, “If I’m not mistaken, that Starship belongs to Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce.”
“Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, are you sure?” Yang Kai was stunned.
“En, the emblem on that Starship is definitely Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s!” Hua You Meng nodded sincerely.
Yang Kai released his Divine Sense again to confirm this and soon found that just as Hua You Meng said, the somewhat damaged Starship did have a special emblem on it that he vaguely remembered seeing embroidered on Xue Yue and Ni Guang’s robes.
[Was this Starship really from Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce?]
[So, just now, the cultivators of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce fought with Purple Star?]
After being silent for a moment, Yang Kai asked, “Why is a Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce Starship in Purple Star City?”
Hua You Meng smiled, “Although Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce is a massive super force, it’s primary focus is still commerce. In this Star Field, wherever there are cultivators, there will be their business opportunities. Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce coming to Purple Star City isn’t strange, but as for why the two sides suddenly fought, that is not something this Mistress can speculate on.”
Yang Kai gently nodded, checked the Starship one last time, then set the matter aside.
No matter what kind of friction there was between these two super forces, as long as it didn’t affect his plan, he didn’t care.
The carriage continued to move forward steadily, at a speed like that of the wind.
After a while, the pair arrived at a huge auction house.
After getting off the carriage, Hua You Meng pointed to the front and said, “This is Clear Sky Auction House. It is also one of the three largest auction houses in the outer city and its reputation is quite loud. I heard that they will be holding an auction in five days with many rare items appearing.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly before turning his head and glancing at Hua You Meng and asking, “President Hua, why do you seem a little nervous? Is this the first time you’ve come here”
Hua You Meng flashed a wistful smile as she replied, “It’s not the first time I’ve been here. I’ve been here several times, in fact, to participate in auctions, but I’ve rarely won anything as the prices are simply too high for this Mistress to afford. However, this is the first time I’ve been here to sell something… Perhaps, it will also be the last.”
“I’m with you, so don’t be afraid!” Yang Kai cast an encouraging look at her.
Hearing what Yang Kai said, Hua You Meng calmed down immediately, remembering that she was being accompanied by an Origin King, and an extraordinary one at that. Even Lu Tian Feng had to treat this Sir with respect, so although Clear Sky Auction House was a powerful force, she was here to auction a valuable item, so they should not embarrass her, right?
Moreover, the reason why she pulled Yang Kai along was that she wanted to use his identity as a deterrent, otherwise, if her tiny Five Paths Chamber of Commerce were to suddenly take out so many land deeds, it would likely cause lots of trouble.
Considering all this, Hua You Meng immediately collected herself and stepped forward.
Inside Clear Sky Auction House, the lobby was spacious and bright, with people coming and going, making for a lively scene.
As soon as Yang Kai and Hua You Meng entered, a young woman came up to greet them with a smile and respectfully said, “Greetings Honoured Guests, how may I serve you today? Are you here to enter an item into Clear Sky Auction House’s upcoming auction? Or do you have other important business to discuss?”
Yang Kai glanced at this young woman and was easily able to sense her cultivation with his powerful Divine Sense.
This young woman was a First-Order Saint King, and although her strength was not high, it also was not low. Her being placed in the lobby as a receptionist was a testament to Clear Sky Auction House’s strength.
What’s more, there were at least eighty others just like her inside the lobby.
“We’re here to enter something into the auction,” Hua You Meng calmed herself and smiled lightly. “How should we proceed?”
“So Honoured Guests are here to auction an item,” The young woman smiled sweetly. “Honoured Guests should know that our auction house does not accept items that are worth less than a million Saint Crystals. If honoured guest’s item is worth more than one million but less than five million, this servant can handle it for you. If Honoured Guests’ item is worth more than five million but less than fifty million, this servant will have to summon one of the auction house’s stewards to process it.”
“What if it exceeds fifty million?” Hua You Meng asked in a low voice.
Although Hua You Meng did not know the exact value of these thirty-odd land deeds, she was certain they well exceeded fifty million.
The young receptionist’s face changed slightly, but she soon smiled like a flower and replied, “If that is the case, the auction house’s manager will personally receive it. This way please!”
With just Hua You Meng’s words, this young woman understood that the item these two honoured guests wanted to auction could not be handled by a mere steward, so she did not hesitate to lead them into the auction house’s interior.
At the same time, this receptionist felt joyful in her heart, as she would receive a percentage of the profits from any business that she brought to the auction house. In other words, as long as these two guests successfully negotiate a deal with the auction house, she would receive a rich reward.
From beginning to end, Yang Kai did not speak and simply stood silently behind Hua You Meng like a guard. This made the young woman feel that Hua You Meng’s background was not simple, so she did not dare act negligently.
Once through the bustling lobby, the trio entered a hallway leading further into the complex and soon arrived at a secluded courtyard. Entering this courtyard was like entering a different world, the noise of the outside world completely disappearing and being replaced by the babbling of a small brook that flowed under a small, wooden bridge. There was even some light music that played in the background, adding to the refreshing atmosphere.
Walking along a winding path, the trio eventually came to an oval arch. The young woman then took a communication artifact from her Space Ring and poured her Divine Sense into it.
A short time later, there was a faint flash of light from the arch, which was obviously a sign that a barrier had been opened.
The young woman turned around and said respectfully, “Please enter inside, Honoured Guests. Someone will welcome you on the other side.”
Saying so, she turned and left.
Hua You Meng and Yang Kai exchanged a glance before stepping through the arch and entering another courtyard.
A woman who seemed to be about forty years old walked over at that moment and said elegantly, “Are Two Guests here to auction an item?”
“Indeed,” Hua You Meng nodded and replied.
“En, then please follow me!” The woman turned to lead the way, but as she did, she glanced suspiciously at Yang Kai, as if she had just received a surprise.
Yang Kai also smiled at her meaningfully, causing the woman’s expression to change slightly and her steps to become slightly unsteady.
After walking for a while, the trio came to a stone pavilion from which the fragrant scent overflowed. Inside, there was a woman in a floral dress brewing tea with elegant and refined movements.
“Young Lady, the guests have arrived,” The woman walked closer and called out before standing to the side silently.
“Manager Li?” Hua You Meng asked with some surprise. She had not expected that the person in charge of this huge auction house to be a woman, and a stunning beauty at that. Observing her face and temperament, Hua You Meng could not help feeling slightly inferior.
“Is this guest surprised?” Manager Li looked up at Hua You Meng, pursed her lips, and winked at Hua You Meng playfully, “Why, did Honoured Guest think I should be a man?”
“No no!” Hua You Meng waved her hands quickly, “I only felt slightly surprised as well some… admiration.”
“Oh?” Manager Li took a serious look at Hua You Meng before immediately seeming to understand something, nodding and saying, “It seems that this guest is also the leader of a certain force. It seems we have something in common.”
“It is only a small chamber of commerce, nothing compared to Manager Li’s formidable business,” Hua You Meng said modestly.
“The strength of the force is irrelevant. As a leader who bears the expectations of all her brothers and sisters, as well as their lives, the burden is always… heavy.”
Hua You Meng agreed with this sentiment and nodded firmly.
These two women, as soon as they met, got along well, and once they found a common topic to discuss, they immediately became immersed in conversation.
The middle-aged woman who had escorted Yang Kai and Hua You Meng here eventually could not help lightly coughing, “Young Lady, these two guests are here to auction an item!”
“Hehe,” Manager Li smiled apologetically. “My apologies, meeting someone of similar interests and position has made me forget myself. Honoured guests, please have a seat.”
Hua You Meng hesitated for a moment before taking a seat at a stone table.
Manager Li was about to speak when suddenly she looked down at a jade token on her waist and in the next moment, she raised her head again and looked at Yang Kai solemnly, “Sir, this Mistress had faulty eyes and committed an offence. I also hope Sir won’t take it to heart.”
“Oh?” Yang Kai glanced down at the jade token on Manager Li’s waist with a smile and said with some surprise, “This thing can actually sense my cultivation?”
“I’ve shown Sir something embarrassing,” Manager Li said softly, “This Mistress interacts with many people each day, and there are always some powerful masters who hide their cultivation like Sir. This Mistress is just a small Origin Realm cultivator and is not always able to see through others’ depths, so she had this item specially made to ensure she does not unintentionally offend a great master. This Mistress assures Sir she had no malicious intent.”
Yang Kai nodded gently, “I understand, but why must you act so frightened? Without even mentioning that Clear Sky Auction House is a powerful entity in Purple Star City, with the protection of this Madam here, Manager Li should have nothing to fear, yes?”
While talking, Yang Kai glanced over at the mature woman with a smile.
The mature woman’s face changed slightly as she openly said, “Your Excellency’s strength is truly profound. Not only are you able to conceal your own strength from this Mistress, but you can also see through this Mistress’s depths!”
“Thank you for the compliment,” Yang Kai smiled slightly. When he saw this mature woman earlier, he immediately realized that the other party was a First-Order Origin King, but she had clearly cultivated some kind of concealment technique that hid all signs of her being one from the outside. Only if the one she was facing had far superior cultivation would they be able to discover anything.
Yang Kai was now a Second-Order Origin King, and his Soul was extremely powerful, comparable to a Third-Order’s, so this mature woman could not hide her strength from him.
This auction house had an Origin King protecting it. It was obvious Clear Sky Auction House had a deep background.
With just a sentence or two, the atmosphere became tense.
However, Manager Li simply giggled and said, “Please don’t take these minor matters too seriously, everyone has their own circumstances, after all. En, let’s talk about business.”
With her words, the atmosphere immediately relaxed.
“En, this Mistress’s name is Li Nuo; might I ask what it is two guests had brought to auction this time?” After introducing herself, Li Nuo turned to Hua You Meng and asked.
“I’ve brought this.” As Hua You Meng spoke, she took out the box containing the land deeds and placed it in front of Li Nuo.
Li Nuo took the box curiously and began inspecting it, soon determining that, although the box itself was precious, it was not priceless treasure, so she immediately understood that what mattered was inside.
Upon opening the box, the land deeds appeared before her eyes.
Li Nuo lifted one of them and her beautiful eyes shrank as she exclaimed, “This is…”
The mature woman’s eyes also swept over, and she too was shocked, “Land deeds? Are these Purple Star City land deeds?”
“En, they’re all land deeds for Purple Star City,” Li Nuo checked carefully one by one, her expression growing more solemn by the moment, “There are so many, and they’re all for the same street?”
Hua You Meng smiled slightly, “These land deeds are for the entire Soaring Dragon Street.”
Li Nuo’s tender body trembled. Although she was accustomed to great winds and waves, seeing countless valuable treasures in her time, she still could not help feeling shocked.
Purple Star City land deeds were each incredibly valuable on their own, but these land deeds were actually for the entire Soaring Dragon Street.
Just by encompassing an entire street, these land deeds would likely double in value!
Suddenly, Li Nuo seemed to think of something and turned to look at Hua You Meng in amazement, “Is Elder Sister a member of Five Paths Chamber of Commerce?”
This time it was Hua You Meng who was stunned, “Manager Li has heard of my Five Paths Chamber of Commerce?”
She was incredibly surprised; after all, Five Paths Chamber of Commerce wasn’t some big force in Purple Star City. To be blunt, Five Paths Chamber of Commerce was among the lowest tier of businesses that struggled just to survive. If there were not ten thousand similar businesses in Purple Star City, there were at least eight thousand.
Clear Sky Auction House on the other hand was a powerhouse, so how could its Manager have even heard of Five Paths Chamber of Commerce?
“I hadn’t heard of it before, but over the past two days…” Li Nuo took a deep look at Yang Kai and said, “I heard that someone who doesn’t fear the Heavens appeared in Five Paths Chamber of Commerce and beat the city guard and Deacon Min to a pulp. However, after that rampant act, not only was that man remained safe and sound, Commander Lu Tian Feng even personally visited him to apologize and offer compensation! Once Elder Sister brought out these land deeds, Junior Sister knew they must be some form of compensation from Commander Lu, as only Commander Lu is qualified to move these things.”
“Has the news spread so quickly?” Hua You Meng frowned.
“Rather than the news having spread quickly, I think it would be better to say Manager Li’s methods and network are impressive, yes?” Yang Kai looked at Li Nuo with a smile.
Li Nuo’s pretty face turned red as she smiled shyly, “Sir surely jests; when doing business in Purple Star City, one naturally has to stay well informed. En, not many people know about this incident yet, but my Clear Sky Auction House is among those that do. However, what happened at the city gates yesterday will likely be known to everyone soon, and Five Paths Chamber of Commerce will certainly become quite famous at that time.”
“The entire city will know?” Hua You Meng paled.
Five Paths Chamber of Commerce was just a small force, but it had suddenly become the centre of attention for the entire city. Knowing this would bring more trouble than benefits, Hua You Meng could not help casting an entreating glance towards Yang Kai, to which he just smiled lightly and motioned for her not to worry. Seeing this, Hua You Meng somehow managed to calm down.
“Is Elder Sister sure she wants to auction all these land deeds?” Li Nuo was a businesswoman herself, so the moment business came to her door, she set aside all other matters and quickly entered negotiations with Hua You Meng.
“En,” Hua You Meng nodded. Although she had her own plans, these things were only given to her because of Yang Kai’s existence. Since Yang Kai suggested that she sell them all, she would not object.
“That’s a pity,” Li Nuo sighed lightly. “If you kept them for yourself, it wouldn’t take ten years for Five Paths Chamber of Commerce to become famous with Elder Sister’s methods.”
“Manager Li must be joking, I don’t have such skill,” Hua You Meng waved her hands quickly.
“Why does Elder Sister insist on being so modest? Although Five Paths Chamber of Commerce is not well-known today, with this Sir assuming…” She was halfway through her words when she noticed Hua You Meng smiling bitterly and understood that Yang Kai was likely just a passerby and would not be staying in Five Paths Chamber of Commerce. As such, she didn’t bother continuing this topic and smiled, “Good, since Elder Sister wants to sell all these land deeds, Junior Sister will accept; however, does Elder Sister want to auction these land deeds separately or as a package?”
Hua You Meng frowned and fell into contemplation.
As a businesswoman, she knew the difference between selling these land deeds individually or together.
If they were split apart, it was guaranteed that these land deeds would easily sell out; after all, although each land deed was expensive, there were many chambers of commerce or great forces that could afford them. However, splitting them apart would mean losing the appeal of owning the entire Soaring Dragon Street.
On the other hand, if all the land deeds were auctioned off together, the price would be so high that not many great forces would be able to fight for them. The final selling price would still likely be much higher than if these land deeds were sold individually.
The two methods both had advantages and disadvantages, and it was not clear which was the better choice.
Helpless, Hua You Meng turned her eyes to Yang Kai, hoping for him to advise her.
Yang Kai just chuckled though, “I only know how to fight. Business is completely foreign to me. It would be better to ask Manager Li for her opinion.”
Hua You Meng’s eyes lit up as she looked towards Li Nuo eagerly.
Li Nuo pursed her lips and said with a smile, “Since Sir has offered such generous praise, this Mistress won’t hold back. Elder Sister, Junior Sister suggests auctioning these off as a set with a starting price of 100 million Saint Crystals.”
“1… 100 million!” Hua You Meng’s pretty face changed drastically as her voice trembled audibly.
She almost fainted from happiness after hearing this number. Together with her thirty or so brothers and sisters from Five Paths Chamber of Commerce, Hua You Meng would need to work all year round just to earn one million Saint Crystals in revenue, but after wages and expenses were subtracted, the chambers of commerce would be able to save 200,000 Saint Crystals at best!
To her, 100 million was simply inconceivable.
“Does Elder Sister believe this is too expensive?” Li Nuo smiled. “If Elder Sister thinks about it, it shouldn’t be too surprising actually. Although Soaring Dragon Street is not in the most prosperous area of the outer city, it is not a poor location either. As a street to do commerce on, it should rank around the middle. Each land deed on Soaring Dragon Street would allow one to set up a shop with a good fifty-metre frontage, making the base cost for each one about five to eight million Saint Crystals; however, that is still a low estimate. In the busiest areas, a single land deed should be worth at least twenty million. Let us say the average land deed on Soaring Dragon Street is worth six million, since there are around thirty such deeds, that alone is 180 million… What’s more, these land deeds are all connected together, which makes it far more convenient and attractive for those great forces or large commercial firms. This alone will push the value up by at least twenty percent. With that said, does Elder Sister still think a base price of 100 million is unreasonable?”
Hua You Meng was stunned on the spot, unable to speak for a long time, her tender body trembling constantly.
The impact of Li Nuo’s words on her was too great.
Although she had realized before that these thirty land deeds were not low in value, she had never had the presence of mind to calculate it out carefully. Now that Li Nuo had explained it to her in plain words, Hua You Meng realized just how immense the wealth she stood to gain was.
This was something she would not be able to accumulate over an entire lifetime with just Five Paths Chamber of Commerce.
Seeing her so stunned, Li Nuo did not hurry her but instead picked up the tea she had just brewed and poured a cup for Hua You Meng and Yang Kai each.
Yang Kai raised his cup and asked, “Manager Li, if these are auctioned as a package, how many great forces in Purple Star City could swallow it?”
“There are at least ten companies that have this ability. Sir must not underestimate the great forces in Purple Star City. Although it would not be easy to take out a few hundred million Saint Crystals on the spot, all that is needed is to let out some rumours ahead of time and many firms will be able to gather enough funds.”
“Good, in that case, let us auction it as a whole. President Hua, what do you think?” Yang Kai asked while turning to Hua You Meng.
Hua You Meng let out a faint breath as her face flushed with excitement and she said blankly, “I trust Sir to make this decision.”
“Then let’s do this,” Yang Kai chuckled. He knew that Hua You Meng was too shocked to think straight right now, so he took the initiative to decide on her behalf.
“Sir, please rest assured. There are still five days before the next auction is held, so this Mistress will properly advertise these land deeds so your chamber of commerce can sell them for a good price,” Li Nuo assured Yang Kai.
“Then I’ll have to trouble you with that,” Yang Kai smiled faintly.
“En, according to our auction house’s regulations, after the auction is successful, we will take a five percent service fee, but since this time’s transaction is so large, this Mistress will give Sir a discount. How about two percent?”
Although it was only a three percent difference, this was still a massive number of Saint Crystals because the selling price would undoubtedly be sky-high.
Yang Kai was taken aback for a moment, but since he had no reason to refuse, he simply said, “Then on behalf of President Hua, I will offer Manager Li thanks for this favour.”
Li Nuo was slightly startled as she understood the meaning behind Yang Kai’s words, but not dwelling on them too much, she smiled and turned to the mature woman beside her and said, “Aunt Chun, take out two VIP invitations for this Sir.”
“Yes.” Aunt Chun responded and took out two golden invitation cards from her Space Ring, placing them in front of Yang Kai.
Li Nuo smiled and explained, “In five days, Sir and President Hua can enter the auction house with this invitation. This Mistress will arrange everything. There will be many good things at the auction, so Sir should definitely attend. Perhaps there will be a treasure that interests you.”
“I’ll certainly come,” Yang Kai smiled and nodded, putting away the invitation before immediately taking Hua You Meng, who had not yet recovered, and walking out of the stone pavilion.
Aunt Chun saw them to the exit of the auction house before returning.
“Young Lady, why did you show such goodwill to that man? Is it because of the Second Young Master?” Aunt Chun looked at Li Nuo with a worried face and asked.
“En, why else does Aunt Chun think I would take the initiative to take three percent off from the auction fee? Those three points represent some ten million Saint Crystals,” Li Nuo smiled bitterly before sighing again. “But he is a very sharp and cautious individual.”
“En,” Aunt Chun also sighed.
What Yang Kai said at the time was ‘On behalf of President Hua, I will offer Manager Li thanks for this favour’. It could be seen from this sentence that Yang Kai was being cautious of them. Rather than saying he had personally accepted Li Nuo’s kindness, he simply gave thanks in Hua You Meng’s place, pushing the favour onto her while making Li Nuo feel helpless.
“Second Young Master’s status is uncertain, but there was some fighting above the city not long ago. Could Aunt Chun perceive what happened clearly?” Li Nuo asked the woman.
“Everything happened too fast,” Aunt Chun shook her head, “I’m afraid that Second Young Master and his people tried to escape from Purple Star City but failed.”
“Haa….” Li Nuo sighed, “The President is too cruel, sending his own flesh and blood to this place. Why send Second Young Master here while allowing the Third Young Master to enjoy riches and honour…”
“Young Lady!” Aunt Chun was taken aback and quickly cut her off.
Li Nuo simply smiled though, “I know, Aunt Chun, but there are no outsiders here. I only wanted to complain a little in front of you. We cannot make any overt moves, let alone reveal ourselves rashly; for now, we can only borrow the help of others. The origins of that Sir with Five Paths Chamber of Commerce are unknown, but from Lu Tian Feng’s attitude, it is obvious he is someone of great strength and status. I originally wanted him to inquire about the Second Young Master on our behalf, but it seems that won’t be possible now.”
Aunt Chun frowned and said, “Young Lady should not worry. Although Second Young Master sometimes acts a bit rashly, he is not someone who lacks discretion, so it is unlikely that anything extreme will happen to him. What’s more, even though Purple Star is not weak, it wouldn’t really dare move against our people, especially the Second Young Master who has an honourable identity. There’s no need to worry about his life, but some suffering is probably unavoidable.”
“That is precisely what I’m worried about though. Second Young Master has been pampered since childhood so his tolerance for suffering cannot be too high.”
Nodding, a light of determination flashed across Aunt Chun’s eyes as she said, “If Young Lady is really unable to feel relieved, I will go speak with Elder Peng.”
“Peng Hu?” Li Nuo frowned, “That man is nothing good, filled with greed and lust. Aunt Chun shouldn’t interact with him!”
“Young Lady need not worry,” Aunt Chun smiled lightly. “Although that old man Peng Hu is impudent, it is precisely because of his nature that we can take advantage of him. At worst I will give him some small benefits and that will be it. In any case, his strength is lower than mine, so I certainly won’t be the one to suffer.”
While talking, Aunt Chun seemed to make up her mind and declared, “Good, I will go find him now!”
“Aunt Chun!” Li Nuo wore a stern look, but Aunt Chun disappeared in the next moment. Helpless, Li Nuo could only silently pray that Aunt Chun really did not suffer a loss at Peng Hu’s hands.
Yang Kai and Hua You Meng left Clear Sky Auction House with the latter still in a daze, her cheeks flushed and a bounce in her step as she was unable to calm herself when thinking about those 100 million Saint Crystals…
Glancing over at Yang Kai once in a while, her beautiful eyes filled with gratitude.
Without this person, Five Paths Chamber of Commerce would have been razed to the ground yesterday, and all her brothers and sisters would have been severely punished. Yet now, such great blessings were practically raining down on them. At this moment, Hua You Meng suddenly understood the feeling of being able to rely on someone.
This warm and comfortable feeling soon infatuated her.
For so many years, she had helmed Five Paths Chamber of Commerce, and just as Li Nuo said, everyone’s future and lives were resting on her shoulders, a heavy burden her tender body struggled to bear.
But she currently had someone to support and protect her, letting her experience the feeling of relying on others.
She was unable to extricate herself for a while as she imagined what a future together with such reliable support would be like… wouldn’t it be wondrous?